Moulding Culture
Series: FRONTLINE
Speaker: Steve Jeffrey
Date: 5th March 2016
00:00:00 --> 00:00:03 Gracious Father, we want to thank you for your word.
00:00:03 --> 00:00:07 We want to thank you for what it reveals about you and your purposes,
00:00:07 --> 00:00:11 the view that you have of this world and your intention for it.
00:00:11 --> 00:00:14 I pray that as we've been learning through this series,
00:00:14 --> 00:00:18 that you might shape us, continue to shape us,
00:00:18 --> 00:00:20 in order that we might shape your world.
00:00:20 --> 00:00:22 And particularly tonight, as we think about the cultures,
00:00:22 --> 00:00:24 the place that you put us in,
00:00:24 --> 00:00:28 how we might work for your purposes in that place
00:00:28 --> 00:00:30 so that people might flourish.
00:00:30 --> 00:00:32 And we ask it for your glory. Amen.
00:00:33 --> 00:00:37 I've been a regular patient of a local physiotherapist
00:00:37 --> 00:00:39 over the past couple of years.
00:00:40 --> 00:00:43 Feet problems, shoulder problems, all sorts of stuff like that.
00:00:43 --> 00:00:46 And I discovered late last year that he was, in fact, a Christian.
00:00:47 --> 00:00:51 He was telling me very recently
00:00:51 --> 00:00:59 that he'd hit a bit of a crossroad in his life
00:00:59 --> 00:01:00 and particularly in his vocation,
00:01:00 --> 00:01:05 wondering if he was doing what God intended for him to do,
00:01:05 --> 00:01:07 what God wanted him to do with his life.
00:01:07 --> 00:01:11 He knew of plenty of Christian physiotherapists
00:01:11 --> 00:01:13 who were working in third world countries,
00:01:14 --> 00:01:16 working amongst great need in those places.
00:01:16 --> 00:01:20 And here he was, a physio in Chatswood.
00:01:21 --> 00:01:24 And, you know, should he be a missionary physio?
00:01:24 --> 00:01:27 That was kind of his question with his life.
00:01:27 --> 00:01:30 Does that, you know, be more purposeful for God?
00:01:31 --> 00:01:32 Is that really what God wants to do for his life?
00:01:33 --> 00:01:35 And so for him, it was a question of purpose.
00:01:35 --> 00:01:37 What does God intend for him?
00:01:37 --> 00:01:40 Was he pursuing God's purpose in his life
00:01:40 --> 00:01:41 where he was in Chatswood as a physio?
00:01:41 --> 00:01:45 He felt that his job had less purpose
00:01:45 --> 00:01:48 than those in third world countries.
00:01:48 --> 00:01:49 And what compounded it for him
00:01:49 --> 00:01:53 was that he hadn't had much, if any,
00:01:53 --> 00:01:57 opportunity to speak about Jesus in his workplace.
00:01:57 --> 00:01:59 There was no workplace Bible study group.
00:02:00 --> 00:02:01 There was no workplace prayer group.
00:02:02 --> 00:02:06 And what's more, when he'd been working on people,
00:02:06 --> 00:02:08 broken people, he hadn't shared about Jesus,
00:02:08 --> 00:02:09 the great healer of all people.
00:02:09 --> 00:02:14 And that is, he didn't see
00:02:14 --> 00:02:18 that he had any opportunity to shine for Jesus
00:02:18 --> 00:02:20 where he was in that place.
00:02:20 --> 00:02:22 Or that he was working out God's purposes
00:02:22 --> 00:02:25 at all in God's world in that place.
00:02:26 --> 00:02:27 And so it was a great opportunity for me
00:02:27 --> 00:02:28 just to very briefly,
00:02:29 --> 00:02:32 having my mind in the Frontline series,
00:02:32 --> 00:02:33 just to connect with him
00:02:33 --> 00:02:35 and encourage him about his Frontline.
00:02:36 --> 00:02:37 I said to him a number of things.
00:02:37 --> 00:02:40 Number one, I said to him that he worked
00:02:40 --> 00:02:45 as the only Christian in an organization of 60 people.
00:02:46 --> 00:02:48 Don't tell me that God hasn't placed you there
00:02:48 --> 00:02:50 for some good purpose,
00:02:51 --> 00:02:52 even if you can't see it at the moment.
00:02:53 --> 00:02:54 That's the first thing.
00:02:54 --> 00:02:57 Secondly, that I thought he did his work really well.
00:02:58 --> 00:03:00 He'd fixed my plantar fasciitis.
00:03:00 --> 00:03:01 He fixed one frozen shoulder
00:03:01 --> 00:03:03 and he's working on another frozen shoulder.
00:03:03 --> 00:03:05 And I'm kind of hoping it's going to end there
00:03:05 --> 00:03:09 because it is sort of expensive after a bit of time.
00:03:09 --> 00:03:11 But he did his work well.
00:03:11 --> 00:03:14 And in fact, so well that I'd recommended
00:03:14 --> 00:03:15 at least four other people
00:03:15 --> 00:03:18 specifically to go and see him
00:03:18 --> 00:03:20 to help them in their particular issues as well.
00:03:23 --> 00:03:24 Thirdly, one of those people
00:03:24 --> 00:03:27 who had actually went and saw him
00:03:27 --> 00:03:29 came back to me and said
00:03:29 --> 00:03:32 how much they thought this guy's character stood out.
00:03:32 --> 00:03:34 There was something different about him.
00:03:34 --> 00:03:35 And they asked me, do you think he's Christian?
00:03:35 --> 00:03:36 I said, I don't know.
00:03:37 --> 00:03:39 But there was something about him that stood out.
00:03:40 --> 00:03:41 And I said, I think fourthly,
00:03:42 --> 00:03:45 the work that he was doing all day
00:03:45 --> 00:03:46 to fix broken bodies,
00:03:47 --> 00:03:49 I think that somehow connects with God's purposes
00:03:49 --> 00:03:52 to redeem and to restore his world.
00:03:53 --> 00:03:54 Just as a rough guess.
00:03:55 --> 00:03:57 Towards the end of that chat,
00:03:58 --> 00:03:59 very quickly, just a few minutes,
00:03:59 --> 00:04:03 tears started to well up in his eyes
00:04:03 --> 00:04:08 because of the sense of purpose that he had
00:04:08 --> 00:04:11 in that moment, just very quickly,
00:04:11 --> 00:04:14 that what he was doing actually mattered to God.
00:04:15 --> 00:04:16 He was deeply thankful.
00:04:17 --> 00:04:18 I didn't get a discount,
00:04:19 --> 00:04:20 but he was deeply thankful.
00:04:22 --> 00:04:24 My hope is that as we've been going through this series,
00:04:24 --> 00:04:27 that likewise, it's an encouragement for you
00:04:27 --> 00:04:29 into where the place that God has put you.
00:04:30 --> 00:04:32 Encouragement to see how God might be using you
00:04:32 --> 00:04:34 to work, to redeem,
00:04:34 --> 00:04:36 and restore his world
00:04:36 --> 00:04:38 through what might be,
00:04:38 --> 00:04:40 quite simply, your ordinary life.
00:04:41 --> 00:04:43 The ordinary things that you do in life.
00:04:43 --> 00:04:45 And so far in this series,
00:04:45 --> 00:04:46 we've looked at the Christian worldview
00:04:46 --> 00:04:49 of both the dignity and the difficulty of work.
00:04:49 --> 00:04:52 We looked at how we might impact God's world
00:04:52 --> 00:04:54 and pursue his purposes
00:04:54 --> 00:04:56 through modelling godly character,
00:04:56 --> 00:04:59 through working well,
00:04:59 --> 00:05:00 working with all our might,
00:05:00 --> 00:05:01 as if working for the Lord
00:05:01 --> 00:05:02 and not for other people,
00:05:02 --> 00:05:04 and ministering grace and love.
00:05:04 --> 00:05:06 And today we're looking at the issue
00:05:06 --> 00:05:09 of how we might mould culture
00:05:09 --> 00:05:11 on our front lines.
00:05:11 --> 00:05:13 How we might mould culture.
00:05:13 --> 00:05:16 Now, culture is one of those big words
00:05:16 --> 00:05:18 that rolls off our tongues,
00:05:19 --> 00:05:21 but very rarely do we know what it actually means.
00:05:21 --> 00:05:22 What does culture mean?
00:05:23 --> 00:05:24 Culture exists everywhere.
00:05:24 --> 00:05:27 Most of the time, culture is hidden.
00:05:28 --> 00:05:29 It's an assumed thing
00:05:29 --> 00:05:30 rather than a stated thing.
00:05:31 --> 00:05:31 So if you said,
00:05:31 --> 00:05:32 what's the culture of your workplace?
00:05:33 --> 00:05:34 Don't we got one,
00:05:34 --> 00:05:37 but I'm not exactly sure necessarily what it is.
00:05:38 --> 00:05:38 Culture,
00:05:39 --> 00:05:41 and this is a very simplistic view
00:05:41 --> 00:05:42 of understanding culture,
00:05:42 --> 00:05:44 culture is quite simply
00:05:44 --> 00:05:47 how we do things around here.
00:05:48 --> 00:05:50 So every family unit has a culture.
00:05:51 --> 00:05:54 Every gathering of people has a culture.
00:05:54 --> 00:05:55 Every church has a culture.
00:05:55 --> 00:05:56 Every workplace has a culture.
00:05:56 --> 00:05:58 Every school and university has a culture.
00:05:59 --> 00:06:01 And you can be right next door to one another
00:06:01 --> 00:06:03 but have very different cultures.
00:06:04 --> 00:06:05 Every team has a culture.
00:06:06 --> 00:06:08 Culture is the way that people interact.
00:06:08 --> 00:06:10 It's the food that they eat,
00:06:10 --> 00:06:11 the way that they speak to one another,
00:06:11 --> 00:06:14 the way that in a church they would pray,
00:06:14 --> 00:06:16 the clothes that you would wear,
00:06:17 --> 00:06:19 the way that you would handle conflict,
00:06:19 --> 00:06:20 the way you spend money,
00:06:20 --> 00:06:21 the way the decisions are made,
00:06:22 --> 00:06:24 the way that leadership is respected
00:06:24 --> 00:06:25 or disrespected
00:06:25 --> 00:06:26 or the group is led,
00:06:26 --> 00:06:29 and a multitude of other things
00:06:29 --> 00:06:32 form a culture within a group.
00:06:33 --> 00:06:34 Or to put it another way,
00:06:34 --> 00:06:36 this might be another way to think about it,
00:06:36 --> 00:06:41 what would an outsider need to know
00:06:41 --> 00:06:43 to learn to understand
00:06:43 --> 00:06:46 about this particular group
00:06:46 --> 00:06:47 and how it functions
00:06:47 --> 00:06:50 in order for them to fit within the group
00:06:50 --> 00:06:52 and to work within the group?
00:06:53 --> 00:06:54 What would they need to know?
00:06:56 --> 00:06:56 That's culture.
00:06:58 --> 00:06:59 And culture is everywhere.
00:07:00 --> 00:07:01 As I said, in every organization.
00:07:01 --> 00:07:04 There was an article in the Sydney Morning Herald
00:07:04 --> 00:07:06 yesterday about Thermomix.
00:07:06 --> 00:07:09 And if you don't know what a Thermomix is,
00:07:09 --> 00:07:11 then you are out of touch
00:07:11 --> 00:07:13 with the culture of North Shore of Sydney
00:07:13 --> 00:07:15 and particularly the housewife culture
00:07:15 --> 00:07:16 of North Shore in Sydney.
00:07:17 --> 00:07:19 Secondly, to answer the question,
00:07:19 --> 00:07:19 what is a Thermomix?
00:07:19 --> 00:07:21 A Thermomix is a kitchen appliance
00:07:21 --> 00:07:22 that does everything.
00:07:23 --> 00:07:27 It not only dices, ways, mixes and cooks,
00:07:27 --> 00:07:28 it orders the ingredients,
00:07:29 --> 00:07:31 it will get them delivered to your home,
00:07:31 --> 00:07:33 and it will stack them into your pantry.
00:07:33 --> 00:07:35 It will run your bath and give you a massage.
00:07:36 --> 00:07:39 And apparently, it also gives you second degree burns
00:07:39 --> 00:07:40 if you're not careful,
00:07:41 --> 00:07:42 which was the issue in the article
00:07:42 --> 00:07:44 of the Sydney Morning Herald.
00:07:45 --> 00:07:47 Danica Jones complained online
00:07:47 --> 00:07:51 that she had a faulty Thermomix
00:07:51 --> 00:07:54 that went crazy, did whatever it did
00:07:54 --> 00:07:56 and caused her second...
00:07:56 --> 00:07:57 I don't think it has a mind of its own.
00:07:58 --> 00:07:59 Something went faulty with it
00:07:59 --> 00:08:00 and it just went nuts
00:08:00 --> 00:08:02 and burnt her with second degree burns.
00:08:02 --> 00:08:03 So she complained online
00:08:03 --> 00:08:05 and what she got,
00:08:05 --> 00:08:08 she received from Thermomix owners
00:08:08 --> 00:08:10 was incessant bullying
00:08:10 --> 00:08:13 about Thermomix being the greatest thing
00:08:13 --> 00:08:14 since sliced bread.
00:08:16 --> 00:08:19 And she got bullying on social media
00:08:19 --> 00:08:21 and she got intimidation
00:08:21 --> 00:08:24 from Thermomix staff.
00:08:24 --> 00:08:27 And so the lawyer defending the woman
00:08:27 --> 00:08:30 said that the culture of the company
00:08:30 --> 00:08:31 was horrific.
00:08:32 --> 00:08:33 There we go.
00:08:33 --> 00:08:33 That's a...
00:08:33 --> 00:08:34 In other words,
00:08:34 --> 00:08:35 what the lawyer is saying there is
00:08:35 --> 00:08:37 that within that organisation,
00:08:37 --> 00:08:40 the way you handle complaints or criticism
00:08:40 --> 00:08:42 is to go on the attack.
00:08:43 --> 00:08:44 That's a cultural thing.
00:08:44 --> 00:08:47 That is,
00:08:47 --> 00:08:49 culture is the way we do things around here.
00:08:49 --> 00:08:51 And some of us experience in workplace,
00:08:51 --> 00:08:52 in social clubs,
00:08:52 --> 00:08:53 in retail outlets,
00:08:53 --> 00:08:54 families,
00:08:54 --> 00:08:55 family cultures
00:08:55 --> 00:08:56 where manipulation
00:08:56 --> 00:08:58 is the way you get people to do things.
00:08:59 --> 00:09:00 That's all culture.
00:09:00 --> 00:09:01 And often we are,
00:09:02 --> 00:09:05 many of us confront unhealthy cultural groups,
00:09:06 --> 00:09:07 whatever we're part of.
00:09:07 --> 00:09:12 So how might we,
00:09:12 --> 00:09:13 as Christian people,
00:09:14 --> 00:09:16 contribute to cultural change
00:09:16 --> 00:09:18 on our front lines
00:09:18 --> 00:09:20 so that they become places
00:09:20 --> 00:09:22 where people flourish,
00:09:24 --> 00:09:25 pursuing God's purposes
00:09:25 --> 00:09:28 for the good order of society?
00:09:29 --> 00:09:31 That's what Jesus calls his disciples to
00:09:31 --> 00:09:33 in Matthew chapters 5 to 7.
00:09:33 --> 00:09:35 It's the famous Sermon on the Mount.
00:09:35 --> 00:09:37 And Jesus calls his disciples
00:09:37 --> 00:09:39 first of all to himself
00:09:39 --> 00:09:41 and then he shares with them
00:09:41 --> 00:09:43 what the characteristics are
00:09:43 --> 00:09:45 of those who live according to the kingdom.
00:09:46 --> 00:09:47 So get your Bibles
00:09:47 --> 00:09:49 and turn to Matthew chapter 5.
00:09:50 --> 00:09:53 I'm going to focus primarily on 11 to 16.
00:09:56 --> 00:09:57 The Beatitudes
00:09:57 --> 00:10:04 describe the sensual character of Christians.
00:10:04 --> 00:10:05 Blessed is he,
00:10:05 --> 00:10:06 his poor and spirit.
00:10:06 --> 00:10:06 Blessed is he,
00:10:06 --> 00:10:07 seek after,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:08 you know,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:08 blah, blah, blah,
00:10:08 --> 00:10:09 that sort of stuff.
00:10:09 --> 00:10:10 All the way down there
00:10:10 --> 00:10:12 in the early bits of Matthew chapter 5.
00:10:13 --> 00:10:14 And what it's saying there is
00:10:14 --> 00:10:16 that Christians are people
00:10:16 --> 00:10:18 who've got a radically new relationship
00:10:18 --> 00:10:19 with God
00:10:19 --> 00:10:21 through trust in the work,
00:10:22 --> 00:10:23 the finished work
00:10:23 --> 00:10:24 of the Lord Jesus Christ
00:10:24 --> 00:10:25 on the cross
00:10:25 --> 00:10:26 to deal with our sin,
00:10:26 --> 00:10:27 to deal with death
00:10:27 --> 00:10:29 and give us eternal life.
00:10:31 --> 00:10:32 That's what the Beatitudes about.
00:10:32 --> 00:10:35 This radical new relationship with God.
00:10:35 --> 00:10:36 And then,
00:10:37 --> 00:10:39 in verses 13 to 16,
00:10:39 --> 00:10:41 the focus shifts
00:10:41 --> 00:10:44 from the Christian's relationship with God
00:10:44 --> 00:10:47 to the Christian's relationship with the world.
00:10:47 --> 00:10:49 And so,
00:10:49 --> 00:10:51 if we have the relationship with God
00:10:51 --> 00:10:54 that the first section speaks about,
00:10:55 --> 00:10:58 then you will have the relationship with the world
00:10:58 --> 00:11:02 that the second bit speaks about.
00:11:02 --> 00:11:04 What Jesus is saying here is that
00:11:04 --> 00:11:09 if you are at all living a consistent Christian life,
00:11:09 --> 00:11:12 then in this world,
00:11:12 --> 00:11:14 you will be salt
00:11:14 --> 00:11:17 and you will be light.
00:11:18 --> 00:11:20 Verse 13 and 14,
00:11:20 --> 00:11:23 both start emphatically with you.
00:11:24 --> 00:11:25 It is like Jesus saying,
00:11:26 --> 00:11:26 you,
00:11:26 --> 00:11:28 that is speaking to his disciples,
00:11:28 --> 00:11:30 you and only you
00:11:30 --> 00:11:31 are the salt of the earth
00:11:31 --> 00:11:32 and the light of the world.
00:11:32 --> 00:11:33 And therefore,
00:11:33 --> 00:11:35 you simply must not fail
00:11:35 --> 00:11:38 what you have been called to do.
00:11:38 --> 00:11:41 and who you've been called to serve.
00:11:43 --> 00:11:45 You must be who you are.
00:11:46 --> 00:11:49 You must not lose your saltiness.
00:11:49 --> 00:11:53 You must not be contaminated or compromised.
00:11:53 --> 00:11:54 You are light.
00:11:54 --> 00:11:55 And so,
00:11:55 --> 00:11:56 you must let your light shine.
00:11:57 --> 00:11:59 And it must not be concealed by sin
00:11:59 --> 00:12:00 or compromise
00:12:00 --> 00:12:01 or laziness
00:12:01 --> 00:12:02 or fear.
00:12:02 --> 00:12:05 In other words,
00:12:06 --> 00:12:10 this is your Christian vocation.
00:12:10 --> 00:12:12 This is your calling
00:12:12 --> 00:12:13 in the world.
00:12:16 --> 00:12:17 So let's start with salt.
00:12:17 --> 00:12:18 Verse 13,
00:12:18 --> 00:12:19 you are the salt of the earth.
00:12:20 --> 00:12:22 But if the salt loses its saltiness,
00:12:22 --> 00:12:24 how can it be made salty again?
00:12:25 --> 00:12:26 It is no longer good for anything
00:12:26 --> 00:12:27 except to be thrown out
00:12:27 --> 00:12:28 and trampled by men.
00:12:28 --> 00:12:31 In ancient times,
00:12:31 --> 00:12:34 salt was used as a preservative
00:12:34 --> 00:12:35 to stop food from rotting.
00:12:36 --> 00:12:37 It was used as a seasoning
00:12:37 --> 00:12:38 to enhance its flavor
00:12:38 --> 00:12:41 and it was also used as a fertilizer
00:12:41 --> 00:12:43 to enable fruitfulness.
00:12:44 --> 00:12:45 It was, however,
00:12:45 --> 00:12:48 most valuable as a preservative.
00:12:48 --> 00:12:51 This is before refrigerators were made.
00:12:51 --> 00:12:57 And you would rub in salt
00:12:57 --> 00:12:59 into whatever would normally decay.
00:13:01 --> 00:13:03 And that salt rubbed into it,
00:13:03 --> 00:13:04 penetrating it,
00:13:05 --> 00:13:06 would stem the decay
00:13:06 --> 00:13:08 and stem its breakdown.
00:13:10 --> 00:13:12 The function of salt here
00:13:12 --> 00:13:14 is largely negative.
00:13:14 --> 00:13:16 It prevents decay.
00:13:17 --> 00:13:20 It's about stopping the spread of evil.
00:13:21 --> 00:13:23 It's an intriguing image
00:13:23 --> 00:13:24 that Jesus uses, I think.
00:13:26 --> 00:13:27 For most of us,
00:13:27 --> 00:13:29 if you see someone's life falling apart,
00:13:30 --> 00:13:33 we tend to move away from it.
00:13:34 --> 00:13:35 When you see brokenness,
00:13:36 --> 00:13:37 we tend to move away.
00:13:37 --> 00:13:38 We're always cautious
00:13:38 --> 00:13:40 about being sucked in
00:13:40 --> 00:13:42 and being connected too deep
00:13:42 --> 00:13:44 and having too much expected of us.
00:13:44 --> 00:13:45 And Jesus says,
00:13:45 --> 00:13:46 if you're a Christian,
00:13:47 --> 00:13:48 you go in.
00:13:48 --> 00:13:52 You penetrate is what you do.
00:13:52 --> 00:13:54 You go in rather than pull away.
00:13:54 --> 00:13:57 You go in to stem the decay
00:13:57 --> 00:13:59 because you're salt.
00:14:01 --> 00:14:03 And this is also true
00:14:03 --> 00:14:05 if you see a society
00:14:05 --> 00:14:06 or a city
00:14:06 --> 00:14:07 or a neighborhood
00:14:07 --> 00:14:08 or a workplace
00:14:08 --> 00:14:09 or a family
00:14:09 --> 00:14:12 falling apart with social problems.
00:14:12 --> 00:14:14 Christians don't run away.
00:14:14 --> 00:14:16 They find ways of being there
00:14:16 --> 00:14:18 to help and to shape for good.
00:14:20 --> 00:14:22 Because Christians have experienced
00:14:22 --> 00:14:23 in their own lives,
00:14:23 --> 00:14:24 Colossians 1.17,
00:14:26 --> 00:14:27 in Christ,
00:14:27 --> 00:14:29 all things hold together.
00:14:29 --> 00:14:33 We know what it is
00:14:33 --> 00:14:34 to have life falling apart
00:14:34 --> 00:14:36 and Jesus to come in
00:14:36 --> 00:14:38 and to bring it together.
00:14:38 --> 00:14:39 The Christian goes in
00:14:39 --> 00:14:41 because they want to be of help,
00:14:42 --> 00:14:43 simply responding
00:14:43 --> 00:14:44 and being for other people
00:14:44 --> 00:14:46 what Christ has been for them.
00:14:47 --> 00:14:50 It's a wonderfully rich metaphor.
00:14:51 --> 00:14:53 To be salt
00:14:53 --> 00:14:55 is to be involved.
00:14:56 --> 00:14:57 Salt penetrates.
00:14:57 --> 00:15:01 Salt stops decay
00:15:01 --> 00:15:05 unless it loses its saltiness.
00:15:07 --> 00:15:08 Now,
00:15:09 --> 00:15:10 sodium chloride
00:15:10 --> 00:15:11 is a very,
00:15:11 --> 00:15:12 very
00:15:12 --> 00:15:17 strong compound
00:15:17 --> 00:15:20 that doesn't often break down.
00:15:20 --> 00:15:21 That is,
00:15:21 --> 00:15:22 you can't normally blow apart
00:15:22 --> 00:15:23 sodium chloride.
00:15:23 --> 00:15:25 Salt doesn't lose its saltiness
00:15:25 --> 00:15:26 as such.
00:15:26 --> 00:15:28 But it will lose its purity.
00:15:30 --> 00:15:32 It will lose its purity.
00:15:33 --> 00:15:34 Salt can be contaminated
00:15:34 --> 00:15:36 and once it's contaminated,
00:15:36 --> 00:15:39 you cannot purify it.
00:15:41 --> 00:15:43 And the contamination here
00:15:43 --> 00:15:45 that Jesus has in mind
00:15:45 --> 00:15:47 is the idea
00:15:47 --> 00:15:49 where we are not distinct
00:15:49 --> 00:15:50 from the world.
00:15:50 --> 00:15:50 salt.
00:15:52 --> 00:15:53 And so,
00:15:54 --> 00:15:55 that's the connection
00:15:55 --> 00:15:56 with the second part
00:15:56 --> 00:15:59 in us being light.
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 Now,
00:15:59 --> 00:15:59 traditionally,
00:16:01 --> 00:16:02 Christians are more known
00:16:02 --> 00:16:03 for being salt
00:16:03 --> 00:16:04 than being light.
00:16:05 --> 00:16:06 That is,
00:16:06 --> 00:16:06 we
00:16:06 --> 00:16:08 are seen
00:16:08 --> 00:16:08 by
00:16:08 --> 00:16:10 our wider society
00:16:10 --> 00:16:12 as being fundamentally
00:16:12 --> 00:16:12 negative
00:16:12 --> 00:16:13 rather than positive.
00:16:13 --> 00:16:13 negative.
00:16:14 --> 00:16:14 That is,
00:16:14 --> 00:16:15 we are more known
00:16:15 --> 00:16:16 for what we're against
00:16:16 --> 00:16:18 than what we are for.
00:16:19 --> 00:16:19 That is,
00:16:19 --> 00:16:20 that's why I say
00:16:20 --> 00:16:21 we are more known
00:16:21 --> 00:16:22 for being negative,
00:16:22 --> 00:16:23 more known for being salt.
00:16:24 --> 00:16:25 We are more known
00:16:25 --> 00:16:26 for being against things
00:16:26 --> 00:16:27 than for things.
00:16:28 --> 00:16:28 And so,
00:16:28 --> 00:16:29 this is really important
00:16:29 --> 00:16:29 for us
00:16:29 --> 00:16:30 because Jesus'
00:16:30 --> 00:16:31 disciples
00:16:31 --> 00:16:33 exert a double influence
00:16:33 --> 00:16:35 on the secular world.
00:16:35 --> 00:16:37 A negative influence
00:16:37 --> 00:16:38 of arresting decay
00:16:38 --> 00:16:40 and a positive influence
00:16:40 --> 00:16:41 of bringing light
00:16:41 --> 00:16:42 into darkness.
00:16:43 --> 00:16:43 You see,
00:16:43 --> 00:16:44 it's one thing
00:16:44 --> 00:16:45 to stop the spread
00:16:45 --> 00:16:45 of evil.
00:16:46 --> 00:16:46 It's another
00:16:46 --> 00:16:47 to promote
00:16:47 --> 00:16:49 the spread of truth
00:16:49 --> 00:16:49 and hope
00:16:49 --> 00:16:50 and goodness.
00:16:51 --> 00:16:52 Verse 14,
00:16:52 --> 00:16:52 you are the light
00:16:52 --> 00:16:53 of the world.
00:16:53 --> 00:16:54 A city on a hill
00:16:54 --> 00:16:55 cannot be hidden.
00:16:55 --> 00:16:56 Neither do people
00:16:56 --> 00:16:57 light a lamp
00:16:57 --> 00:16:58 and put it under a bowl.
00:16:58 --> 00:16:59 Instead,
00:16:59 --> 00:17:00 they put it on its stand
00:17:00 --> 00:17:01 and it gives light
00:17:01 --> 00:17:02 to everyone in the house.
00:17:02 --> 00:17:04 In the same way,
00:17:04 --> 00:17:05 let your light shine
00:17:05 --> 00:17:05 before men
00:17:05 --> 00:17:06 so that they may see
00:17:06 --> 00:17:07 your good deeds
00:17:07 --> 00:17:08 and praise your Father
00:17:08 --> 00:17:09 in heaven.
00:17:10 --> 00:17:10 So,
00:17:10 --> 00:17:12 the light metaphor here
00:17:12 --> 00:17:13 is a bit different.
00:17:13 --> 00:17:13 As I said,
00:17:14 --> 00:17:14 it's positive
00:17:14 --> 00:17:16 as opposed to negative.
00:17:16 --> 00:17:17 When Jesus talks
00:17:17 --> 00:17:18 about salt,
00:17:18 --> 00:17:19 he's saying something
00:17:19 --> 00:17:20 significant
00:17:20 --> 00:17:21 about human society
00:17:21 --> 00:17:22 that is
00:17:22 --> 00:17:24 that human society
00:17:24 --> 00:17:25 left by itself
00:17:25 --> 00:17:26 will decay.
00:17:27 --> 00:17:28 It will go rotten.
00:17:31 --> 00:17:32 And when he says
00:17:32 --> 00:17:33 something about
00:17:33 --> 00:17:34 Christians of light,
00:17:34 --> 00:17:35 he's saying
00:17:35 --> 00:17:36 something significant
00:17:36 --> 00:17:38 also about
00:17:38 --> 00:17:39 human society.
00:17:42 --> 00:17:43 It's dark.
00:17:48 --> 00:17:50 In the Bible,
00:17:50 --> 00:17:51 light symbolizes
00:17:51 --> 00:17:52 truth
00:17:52 --> 00:17:53 because light
00:17:53 --> 00:17:56 exposes falsehood.
00:17:57 --> 00:17:58 But it also
00:17:58 --> 00:17:59 symbolizes hope
00:17:59 --> 00:18:00 hope
00:18:00 --> 00:18:01 and even joy
00:18:01 --> 00:18:01 because light
00:18:01 --> 00:18:02 is brilliant
00:18:02 --> 00:18:03 and beautiful.
00:18:03 --> 00:18:03 And so,
00:18:03 --> 00:18:04 when this passage
00:18:04 --> 00:18:05 says that Christians
00:18:05 --> 00:18:05 are the light
00:18:05 --> 00:18:06 of the world,
00:18:06 --> 00:18:07 what it means
00:18:07 --> 00:18:09 is that we bring
00:18:09 --> 00:18:10 hope and joy
00:18:10 --> 00:18:12 through truth
00:18:12 --> 00:18:14 into darkness.
00:18:14 --> 00:18:17 as the positive
00:18:17 --> 00:18:17 influence
00:18:17 --> 00:18:18 that we have
00:18:18 --> 00:18:19 on society.
00:18:20 --> 00:18:21 How and how much
00:18:21 --> 00:18:22 our society needs it.
00:18:22 --> 00:18:23 A society that we exist
00:18:23 --> 00:18:24 that is
00:18:24 --> 00:18:26 a society that says
00:18:26 --> 00:18:27 that we don't need God,
00:18:27 --> 00:18:28 that he has no place
00:18:28 --> 00:18:30 amongst us at all.
00:18:30 --> 00:18:31 We are secular.
00:18:32 --> 00:18:33 We are godless.
00:18:34 --> 00:18:34 For example,
00:18:35 --> 00:18:36 Somerset Morham
00:18:36 --> 00:18:38 was a British playwright
00:18:38 --> 00:18:39 and a novelist
00:18:39 --> 00:18:40 and a short story writer.
00:18:40 --> 00:18:41 He was among
00:18:41 --> 00:18:42 the most popular
00:18:42 --> 00:18:43 writers of his era
00:18:43 --> 00:18:44 and,
00:18:45 --> 00:18:45 reputedly,
00:18:45 --> 00:18:46 the highest paid
00:18:46 --> 00:18:48 author in the 1930s.
00:18:48 --> 00:18:49 That's a long time ago.
00:18:50 --> 00:18:51 And like many people,
00:18:51 --> 00:18:52 he thought
00:18:52 --> 00:18:54 that the existence
00:18:54 --> 00:18:55 of God
00:18:55 --> 00:18:56 and survival
00:18:56 --> 00:18:57 beyond death
00:18:57 --> 00:18:58 of any sort
00:18:58 --> 00:18:59 at all
00:18:59 --> 00:19:00 was doubtful.
00:19:00 --> 00:19:01 He wasn't an atheist.
00:19:02 --> 00:19:04 But he thought
00:19:04 --> 00:19:05 about the consequences
00:19:05 --> 00:19:07 of his belief system
00:19:07 --> 00:19:10 more than most atheists.
00:19:10 --> 00:19:12 He understood
00:19:12 --> 00:19:13 the consequences of it.
00:19:13 --> 00:19:14 And he wrote this
00:19:14 --> 00:19:15 in his autobiography.
00:19:16 --> 00:19:16 He said,
00:19:16 --> 00:19:18 If death ends all
00:19:18 --> 00:19:20 and I neither have
00:19:20 --> 00:19:22 to hope for God
00:19:22 --> 00:19:23 after death
00:19:23 --> 00:19:25 nor to fear evil
00:19:25 --> 00:19:26 after death,
00:19:27 --> 00:19:29 then I must
00:19:29 --> 00:19:30 ask myself,
00:19:30 --> 00:19:32 what am I here for?
00:19:34 --> 00:19:36 And how in these circumstances
00:19:36 --> 00:19:38 I must conduct myself?
00:19:38 --> 00:19:40 And the answer
00:19:40 --> 00:19:41 is plain
00:19:41 --> 00:19:43 but so unpalatable
00:19:43 --> 00:19:45 that most
00:19:45 --> 00:19:46 will not face it.
00:19:47 --> 00:19:49 And here's his answer.
00:19:50 --> 00:19:51 There is
00:19:51 --> 00:19:52 no meaning
00:19:52 --> 00:19:53 for life
00:19:53 --> 00:19:54 and therefore
00:19:54 --> 00:19:55 life has
00:19:55 --> 00:19:56 no meaning.
00:19:57 --> 00:19:59 That's his conclusion
00:19:59 --> 00:20:00 to his belief system.
00:20:00 --> 00:20:05 And what he's saying
00:20:05 --> 00:20:05 is
00:20:05 --> 00:20:07 not that he would
00:20:07 --> 00:20:09 put it in these words
00:20:09 --> 00:20:11 is that society today
00:20:11 --> 00:20:12 will tell you
00:20:12 --> 00:20:13 that there is
00:20:13 --> 00:20:14 probably no God
00:20:14 --> 00:20:15 that there's no reason
00:20:15 --> 00:20:16 really
00:20:16 --> 00:20:17 for why you're here
00:20:17 --> 00:20:19 that there is
00:20:19 --> 00:20:20 no right or wrong
00:20:20 --> 00:20:22 and that after you die
00:20:22 --> 00:20:23 there is nothingness.
00:20:23 --> 00:20:23 That is
00:20:23 --> 00:20:24 after you die
00:20:24 --> 00:20:26 there is darkness.
00:20:27 --> 00:20:27 And so
00:20:27 --> 00:20:28 if Somerset
00:20:28 --> 00:20:29 was here right now
00:20:29 --> 00:20:29 he would say
00:20:29 --> 00:20:30 if darkness
00:20:30 --> 00:20:32 is beyond death
00:20:32 --> 00:20:33 if that's all
00:20:33 --> 00:20:34 that exists then
00:20:34 --> 00:20:35 then that means
00:20:35 --> 00:20:35 that darkness
00:20:35 --> 00:20:36 is now.
00:20:37 --> 00:20:38 That's society.
00:20:39 --> 00:20:40 It's dark.
00:20:40 --> 00:20:41 And so
00:20:41 --> 00:20:42 what's the answer
00:20:42 --> 00:20:42 of our society
00:20:42 --> 00:20:44 to that philosophical
00:20:44 --> 00:20:44 position?
00:20:45 --> 00:20:47 Go and enjoy life.
00:20:52 --> 00:20:52 Really?
00:20:55 --> 00:20:56 Have a good time?
00:20:56 --> 00:20:57 Really?
00:20:57 --> 00:20:57 Really?
00:20:59 --> 00:21:01 See what he was saying
00:21:01 --> 00:21:02 without realizing
00:21:02 --> 00:21:03 is that
00:21:03 --> 00:21:04 without the light
00:21:04 --> 00:21:05 of salvation
00:21:05 --> 00:21:06 this world
00:21:06 --> 00:21:07 is dark
00:21:07 --> 00:21:08 and we don't want
00:21:08 --> 00:21:09 to admit
00:21:09 --> 00:21:10 the world is dark
00:21:10 --> 00:21:11 but he was right.
00:21:12 --> 00:21:12 Christians
00:21:12 --> 00:21:13 are light
00:21:13 --> 00:21:15 because of the good news
00:21:15 --> 00:21:16 of the Lord Jesus
00:21:16 --> 00:21:18 gives us light.
00:21:19 --> 00:21:21 A light that we do not have.
00:21:23 --> 00:21:23 The good news
00:21:23 --> 00:21:24 of the Christian faith
00:21:24 --> 00:21:25 tells us
00:21:25 --> 00:21:27 that every single
00:21:27 --> 00:21:29 one of our deepest
00:21:29 --> 00:21:30 desires in our hearts
00:21:30 --> 00:21:32 will be met by Jesus
00:21:32 --> 00:21:32 in the end.
00:21:33 --> 00:21:34 It tells us
00:21:34 --> 00:21:35 the good news
00:21:35 --> 00:21:35 tells us
00:21:35 --> 00:21:36 that because we are
00:21:36 --> 00:21:37 saved by his grace
00:21:37 --> 00:21:38 and his mercy
00:21:38 --> 00:21:41 we are always his.
00:21:41 --> 00:21:42 It tells us
00:21:42 --> 00:21:43 that there is no
00:21:43 --> 00:21:44 condemnation
00:21:44 --> 00:21:45 for those who trust Jesus.
00:21:46 --> 00:21:46 It tells us
00:21:46 --> 00:21:47 that we might have
00:21:47 --> 00:21:48 good days
00:21:48 --> 00:21:49 and bad days
00:21:49 --> 00:21:49 and good years
00:21:49 --> 00:21:50 and bad years
00:21:50 --> 00:21:52 but you are guaranteed
00:21:52 --> 00:21:54 to be part
00:21:54 --> 00:21:55 of his glorious
00:21:55 --> 00:21:58 bright future.
00:22:00 --> 00:22:01 And Christians
00:22:01 --> 00:22:03 because of that
00:22:03 --> 00:22:05 live in the light
00:22:05 --> 00:22:06 of that future now.
00:22:11 --> 00:22:12 And friends
00:22:12 --> 00:22:15 when you look out there
00:22:15 --> 00:22:16 and you see this metaphor
00:22:16 --> 00:22:18 that we are the light
00:22:18 --> 00:22:18 of the world
00:22:18 --> 00:22:20 and you see
00:22:20 --> 00:22:21 the darkness
00:22:21 --> 00:22:22 of our secular society
00:22:22 --> 00:22:22 and wonder
00:22:22 --> 00:22:23 and Christians
00:22:23 --> 00:22:24 are being pushed back
00:22:24 --> 00:22:25 pushed back
00:22:25 --> 00:22:25 pushed back
00:22:25 --> 00:22:26 pushed back
00:22:26 --> 00:22:27 and you wonder
00:22:27 --> 00:22:28 what on earth
00:22:28 --> 00:22:29 can we possibly do?
00:22:30 --> 00:22:31 Let me give you
00:22:31 --> 00:22:32 one encouragement.
00:22:33 --> 00:22:34 It does not take
00:22:34 --> 00:22:35 much light
00:22:35 --> 00:22:36 to push back
00:22:36 --> 00:22:36 darkness.
00:22:39 --> 00:22:40 This
00:22:40 --> 00:22:42 half a watt
00:22:42 --> 00:22:42 bulb
00:22:42 --> 00:22:44 in the darkness
00:22:44 --> 00:22:45 of my daughter's room
00:22:45 --> 00:22:47 is enough
00:22:47 --> 00:22:47 to give me
00:22:47 --> 00:22:48 perspective
00:22:48 --> 00:22:49 in her room
00:22:49 --> 00:22:50 it's enough
00:22:50 --> 00:22:50 for me
00:22:50 --> 00:22:51 to be able
00:22:51 --> 00:22:51 to walk
00:22:51 --> 00:22:52 around in her room
00:22:52 --> 00:22:53 and not tread
00:22:53 --> 00:22:53 on the cat
00:22:53 --> 00:22:54 or toys
00:22:54 --> 00:22:55 or whatever it is
00:22:55 --> 00:22:56 and it's enough
00:22:56 --> 00:22:56 to push back
00:22:56 --> 00:22:57 fear for her.
00:23:00 --> 00:23:01 Half a watt
00:23:01 --> 00:23:03 because
00:23:03 --> 00:23:04 darkness
00:23:04 --> 00:23:05 cannot
00:23:05 --> 00:23:06 resist light.
00:23:09 --> 00:23:09 Darkness
00:23:09 --> 00:23:10 cannot push
00:23:10 --> 00:23:11 light back.
00:23:12 --> 00:23:13 That's the job
00:23:13 --> 00:23:13 of light
00:23:13 --> 00:23:14 pushes
00:23:14 --> 00:23:15 darkness back
00:23:15 --> 00:23:16 and it does
00:23:16 --> 00:23:17 not take
00:23:17 --> 00:23:17 much
00:23:17 --> 00:23:18 to push
00:23:18 --> 00:23:19 back.
00:23:19 --> 00:23:19 And so
00:23:19 --> 00:23:20 friends
00:23:20 --> 00:23:21 even if we
00:23:21 --> 00:23:22 are a minority
00:23:22 --> 00:23:23 even if we
00:23:23 --> 00:23:24 do not have
00:23:24 --> 00:23:25 a voice
00:23:25 --> 00:23:26 light
00:23:26 --> 00:23:27 pushes
00:23:27 --> 00:23:27 back
00:23:27 --> 00:23:28 darkness.
00:23:31 --> 00:23:32 But that's
00:23:32 --> 00:23:32 not all
00:23:32 --> 00:23:33 Jesus is saying
00:23:33 --> 00:23:33 here.
00:23:35 --> 00:23:36 He isn't
00:23:36 --> 00:23:36 just saying
00:23:36 --> 00:23:37 that you
00:23:37 --> 00:23:37 have
00:23:37 --> 00:23:38 the truth
00:23:38 --> 00:23:39 and so
00:23:39 --> 00:23:40 therefore
00:23:40 --> 00:23:40 your job
00:23:40 --> 00:23:41 in society
00:23:41 --> 00:23:41 is to
00:23:41 --> 00:23:42 preach
00:23:42 --> 00:23:42 the truth
00:23:42 --> 00:23:43 and give
00:23:43 --> 00:23:44 people this
00:23:44 --> 00:23:44 hope.
00:23:44 --> 00:23:46 because
00:23:46 --> 00:23:46 he's saying
00:23:46 --> 00:23:47 something a
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 little bit
00:23:47 --> 00:23:47 different.
00:23:48 --> 00:23:48 It looks
00:23:48 --> 00:23:49 like Jesus
00:23:49 --> 00:23:50 is actually
00:23:50 --> 00:23:51 mixing his
00:23:51 --> 00:23:52 metaphors
00:23:52 --> 00:23:53 in these
00:23:53 --> 00:23:53 verses.
00:23:54 --> 00:23:54 He talks
00:23:54 --> 00:23:55 about light
00:23:55 --> 00:23:56 and then he
00:23:56 --> 00:23:57 talks about
00:23:57 --> 00:23:57 light at the
00:23:57 --> 00:23:58 end and then
00:23:58 --> 00:23:58 he talks about
00:23:58 --> 00:23:59 a city in
00:23:59 --> 00:23:59 the middle
00:23:59 --> 00:24:00 and so it
00:24:00 --> 00:24:01 looks like
00:24:01 --> 00:24:01 he's mixing
00:24:01 --> 00:24:02 his metaphors
00:24:02 --> 00:24:03 and if you
00:24:03 --> 00:24:03 know anything
00:24:03 --> 00:24:04 about English
00:24:04 --> 00:24:05 or you probably
00:24:05 --> 00:24:05 heard your
00:24:05 --> 00:24:06 English teacher
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 tell you at
00:24:06 --> 00:24:06 some point
00:24:06 --> 00:24:07 that you
00:24:07 --> 00:24:07 should not
00:24:07 --> 00:24:08 mix your
00:24:08 --> 00:24:08 metaphors
00:24:08 --> 00:24:09 but the
00:24:09 --> 00:24:09 good thing
00:24:09 --> 00:24:10 is Jesus
00:24:10 --> 00:24:10 didn't speak
00:24:10 --> 00:24:11 English and
00:24:11 --> 00:24:11 so this is
00:24:11 --> 00:24:12 okay.
00:24:12 --> 00:24:14 Right in
00:24:14 --> 00:24:15 the middle
00:24:15 --> 00:24:15 it says
00:24:15 --> 00:24:16 here a
00:24:16 --> 00:24:17 city on
00:24:17 --> 00:24:17 a hill
00:24:17 --> 00:24:18 cannot be
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 hidden.
00:24:18 --> 00:24:18 I think
00:24:18 --> 00:24:19 it's exactly
00:24:19 --> 00:24:19 the same
00:24:19 --> 00:24:20 idea.
00:24:20 --> 00:24:21 Light,
00:24:21 --> 00:24:21 light,
00:24:21 --> 00:24:22 light all
00:24:22 --> 00:24:22 the way
00:24:22 --> 00:24:23 through.
00:24:23 --> 00:24:24 Most cities
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 were not
00:24:24 --> 00:24:24 built on
00:24:24 --> 00:24:25 hills.
00:24:25 --> 00:24:26 Most cities
00:24:26 --> 00:24:26 were put in
00:24:26 --> 00:24:27 the bases
00:24:27 --> 00:24:27 of the hills
00:24:27 --> 00:24:28 or in the
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 bottom of
00:24:28 --> 00:24:28 the valleys
00:24:28 --> 00:24:29 where there
00:24:29 --> 00:24:29 was a
00:24:29 --> 00:24:30 water source
00:24:30 --> 00:24:30 and where
00:24:30 --> 00:24:31 the trade
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 routes and
00:24:31 --> 00:24:31 the roads
00:24:31 --> 00:24:32 were.
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 But if
00:24:33 --> 00:24:33 you put a
00:24:33 --> 00:24:34 city on
00:24:34 --> 00:24:34 a hill
00:24:34 --> 00:24:35 just with
00:24:35 --> 00:24:36 candles and
00:24:36 --> 00:24:37 lamps it
00:24:37 --> 00:24:37 would be
00:24:37 --> 00:24:38 enough
00:24:38 --> 00:24:39 from the
00:24:39 --> 00:24:40 light from
00:24:40 --> 00:24:40 that city
00:24:40 --> 00:24:41 would illuminate
00:24:41 --> 00:24:42 a great
00:24:42 --> 00:24:43 distance.
00:24:43 --> 00:24:43 You could
00:24:43 --> 00:24:44 see the
00:24:44 --> 00:24:45 city from
00:24:45 --> 00:24:45 a great
00:24:45 --> 00:24:46 distance.
00:24:46 --> 00:24:46 And he's
00:24:46 --> 00:24:47 saying that
00:24:47 --> 00:24:47 Christians and
00:24:47 --> 00:24:48 the church
00:24:48 --> 00:24:49 he's saying
00:24:49 --> 00:24:50 here you
00:24:50 --> 00:24:51 need to be
00:24:51 --> 00:24:52 a counter
00:24:52 --> 00:24:52 culture.
00:24:53 --> 00:24:53 You need
00:24:53 --> 00:24:54 to be a
00:24:54 --> 00:24:56 light in
00:24:56 --> 00:24:57 the darkness.
00:24:58 --> 00:24:59 You need
00:24:59 --> 00:25:00 to be visible.
00:25:01 --> 00:25:01 People need
00:25:01 --> 00:25:02 to see that
00:25:02 --> 00:25:02 you are
00:25:02 --> 00:25:03 different.
00:25:03 --> 00:25:10 see Christians
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 are to be
00:25:10 --> 00:25:10 light of
00:25:10 --> 00:25:11 the world
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 not just
00:25:11 --> 00:25:11 by what
00:25:11 --> 00:25:12 they say
00:25:12 --> 00:25:13 but how
00:25:13 --> 00:25:13 they live
00:25:13 --> 00:25:14 their lives.
00:25:14 --> 00:25:15 The words
00:25:15 --> 00:25:15 good deeds
00:25:15 --> 00:25:16 is right in
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 there.
00:25:16 --> 00:25:16 People might
00:25:16 --> 00:25:17 see your
00:25:17 --> 00:25:19 good deeds.
00:25:20 --> 00:25:20 And so
00:25:20 --> 00:25:21 being light
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 in the
00:25:21 --> 00:25:21 world
00:25:21 --> 00:25:23 I think
00:25:23 --> 00:25:24 what this
00:25:24 --> 00:25:24 picture is
00:25:24 --> 00:25:26 we are
00:25:26 --> 00:25:26 an alternative
00:25:26 --> 00:25:27 Chatswood
00:25:27 --> 00:25:28 in Chatswood.
00:25:31 --> 00:25:31 We are a
00:25:31 --> 00:25:32 city within a
00:25:32 --> 00:25:32 city.
00:25:33 --> 00:25:34 And how
00:25:34 --> 00:25:35 this city
00:25:35 --> 00:25:36 within a
00:25:36 --> 00:25:37 city lives
00:25:37 --> 00:25:38 and how
00:25:38 --> 00:25:39 it works
00:25:39 --> 00:25:40 out its
00:25:40 --> 00:25:41 life is
00:25:41 --> 00:25:42 what the
00:25:42 --> 00:25:42 rest of
00:25:42 --> 00:25:43 the Sermon
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 on the
00:25:43 --> 00:25:43 Mount is
00:25:43 --> 00:25:44 about.
00:25:45 --> 00:25:45 The
00:25:45 --> 00:25:46 teaching of
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 the Sermon
00:25:46 --> 00:25:46 on the
00:25:46 --> 00:25:47 Mount is
00:25:47 --> 00:25:47 radically
00:25:47 --> 00:25:48 different than
00:25:48 --> 00:25:48 the views
00:25:48 --> 00:25:49 of the
00:25:49 --> 00:25:49 rest of
00:25:49 --> 00:25:50 the Chatswood
00:25:50 --> 00:25:51 when it
00:25:51 --> 00:25:51 comes to
00:25:51 --> 00:25:52 things like
00:25:52 --> 00:25:52 money and
00:25:52 --> 00:25:53 sex and
00:25:53 --> 00:25:54 relationships and
00:25:54 --> 00:25:55 power and a
00:25:55 --> 00:25:55 bunch of
00:25:55 --> 00:25:56 other things.
00:25:56 --> 00:25:57 The views,
00:25:57 --> 00:25:58 the culture
00:25:58 --> 00:25:59 is different.
00:26:02 --> 00:26:03 You see,
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 it's not
00:26:03 --> 00:26:03 just good
00:26:03 --> 00:26:04 enough,
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 I don't
00:26:04 --> 00:26:04 think,
00:26:04 --> 00:26:05 just to
00:26:05 --> 00:26:05 hold up
00:26:05 --> 00:26:06 the truth,
00:26:06 --> 00:26:07 to preach
00:26:07 --> 00:26:07 it,
00:26:08 --> 00:26:08 or to go
00:26:08 --> 00:26:09 onto Facebook
00:26:09 --> 00:26:10 and just
00:26:10 --> 00:26:10 have fights
00:26:10 --> 00:26:11 with atheists.
00:26:15 --> 00:26:15 If
00:26:15 --> 00:26:16 Christians are
00:26:16 --> 00:26:17 not seen
00:26:17 --> 00:26:18 to be living
00:26:18 --> 00:26:19 differently than
00:26:19 --> 00:26:19 the rest of
00:26:19 --> 00:26:20 Chatswood,
00:26:21 --> 00:26:21 we have no
00:26:21 --> 00:26:23 impact.
00:26:23 --> 00:26:23 impact.
00:26:24 --> 00:26:25 If they
00:26:25 --> 00:26:25 don't see
00:26:25 --> 00:26:26 the difference,
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 then we
00:26:28 --> 00:26:28 are not
00:26:28 --> 00:26:29 light.
00:26:30 --> 00:26:31 Then we
00:26:31 --> 00:26:31 are not a
00:26:31 --> 00:26:32 city on a
00:26:32 --> 00:26:32 hill.
00:26:33 --> 00:26:34 God
00:26:34 --> 00:26:34 intends for
00:26:34 --> 00:26:35 his people
00:26:35 --> 00:26:37 to be
00:26:37 --> 00:26:38 rubbed into
00:26:38 --> 00:26:39 society, to
00:26:39 --> 00:26:40 penetrate for
00:26:40 --> 00:26:41 good in this
00:26:41 --> 00:26:41 world.
00:26:41 --> 00:26:42 Christian salt
00:26:42 --> 00:26:43 and light
00:26:43 --> 00:26:45 has therefore
00:26:45 --> 00:26:46 no business
00:26:46 --> 00:26:47 remaining
00:26:47 --> 00:26:49 snugly in a
00:26:49 --> 00:26:50 elegant,
00:26:51 --> 00:26:51 newly
00:26:51 --> 00:26:52 renovated,
00:26:53 --> 00:26:54 ecclesiastical
00:26:54 --> 00:26:55 salt and
00:26:55 --> 00:26:55 light cellar.
00:26:58 --> 00:26:59 I'll say it
00:26:59 --> 00:26:59 again, it's not
00:26:59 --> 00:27:00 my main point,
00:27:00 --> 00:27:00 but I'll say it
00:27:00 --> 00:27:01 again in case
00:27:01 --> 00:27:01 you wonder what
00:27:01 --> 00:27:02 I'm talking
00:27:02 --> 00:27:02 about there.
00:27:03 --> 00:27:03 Christian salt
00:27:03 --> 00:27:04 and light has
00:27:04 --> 00:27:05 no business
00:27:05 --> 00:27:05 remaining
00:27:05 --> 00:27:07 snugly in an
00:27:07 --> 00:27:08 elegant, newly
00:27:08 --> 00:27:09 renovated,
00:27:09 --> 00:27:10 ecclesiastical
00:27:10 --> 00:27:11 salt and light
00:27:11 --> 00:27:11 cellar.
00:27:11 --> 00:27:12 That is, our
00:27:12 --> 00:27:13 job is to be
00:27:13 --> 00:27:14 rubbed into
00:27:14 --> 00:27:15 secular society,
00:27:15 --> 00:27:15 into a secular
00:27:15 --> 00:27:16 community.
00:27:16 --> 00:27:17 Our business
00:27:17 --> 00:27:18 is to shine
00:27:18 --> 00:27:18 light and bring
00:27:18 --> 00:27:19 hope and joy
00:27:19 --> 00:27:20 and truth to
00:27:20 --> 00:27:21 this world, to
00:27:21 --> 00:27:22 shape for good
00:27:22 --> 00:27:24 the cultures
00:27:24 --> 00:27:25 of families
00:27:25 --> 00:27:26 and organisations
00:27:26 --> 00:27:28 and whatever
00:27:28 --> 00:27:29 it is, people
00:27:29 --> 00:27:29 groups that have
00:27:29 --> 00:27:30 a tendency to
00:27:30 --> 00:27:32 use people and
00:27:32 --> 00:27:33 manipulate people
00:27:33 --> 00:27:34 where there might
00:27:34 --> 00:27:35 be a tendency
00:27:35 --> 00:27:36 to waste resources
00:27:36 --> 00:27:37 or a tendency
00:27:37 --> 00:27:38 where there's
00:27:38 --> 00:27:39 fearful for change
00:27:39 --> 00:27:40 or a tendency
00:27:40 --> 00:27:41 to have ruthlessness
00:27:41 --> 00:27:41 in leadership
00:27:41 --> 00:27:43 and to treat people.
00:27:43 --> 00:27:44 We want to have
00:27:44 --> 00:27:45 an influence for
00:27:45 --> 00:27:46 good in there,
00:27:46 --> 00:27:47 to shape the
00:27:47 --> 00:27:48 culture of those
00:27:48 --> 00:27:49 places,
00:27:49 --> 00:27:51 to speak up
00:27:51 --> 00:27:53 and to
00:27:53 --> 00:27:54 demonstrate
00:27:54 --> 00:27:54 good.
00:27:56 --> 00:27:56 And so if
00:27:56 --> 00:27:57 you're a
00:27:57 --> 00:27:57 Christian,
00:27:58 --> 00:27:59 if you are at
00:27:59 --> 00:28:00 all living out
00:28:00 --> 00:28:01 the Christian
00:28:01 --> 00:28:02 life, a
00:28:02 --> 00:28:02 consistent Christian
00:28:02 --> 00:28:04 life, you are
00:28:04 --> 00:28:06 salt and you
00:28:06 --> 00:28:07 are light.
00:28:07 --> 00:28:08 You may feel like
00:28:08 --> 00:28:09 a half a watt
00:28:09 --> 00:28:10 bowl, but you
00:28:10 --> 00:28:11 are light.
00:28:11 --> 00:28:14 And because you
00:28:14 --> 00:28:15 are salt and
00:28:15 --> 00:28:16 because you are
00:28:16 --> 00:28:17 light and you
00:28:17 --> 00:28:18 are working to
00:28:18 --> 00:28:19 shape the way
00:28:19 --> 00:28:20 things should be
00:28:20 --> 00:28:21 done for the
00:28:21 --> 00:28:22 good of others
00:28:22 --> 00:28:22 and for the
00:28:22 --> 00:28:23 glory of God,
00:28:23 --> 00:28:24 you are not
00:28:24 --> 00:28:25 just salt and
00:28:25 --> 00:28:26 light, but you
00:28:26 --> 00:28:27 are also going to
00:28:27 --> 00:28:27 be hurt.
00:28:30 --> 00:28:30 You're going to
00:28:30 --> 00:28:31 be hurt.
00:28:34 --> 00:28:35 This life that
00:28:35 --> 00:28:36 we've received in
00:28:36 --> 00:28:36 Jesus is lived
00:28:36 --> 00:28:38 out in the
00:28:38 --> 00:28:38 midst of a
00:28:38 --> 00:28:39 culture that has
00:28:39 --> 00:28:40 decided it wants
00:28:40 --> 00:28:40 to live,
00:28:41 --> 00:28:41 in a different
00:28:41 --> 00:28:42 way, largely
00:28:42 --> 00:28:43 without reference
00:28:43 --> 00:28:44 to God.
00:28:44 --> 00:28:45 We live in a
00:28:45 --> 00:28:45 post-Christian
00:28:45 --> 00:28:46 secular society
00:28:46 --> 00:28:48 where Christianity
00:28:48 --> 00:28:49 has got no
00:28:49 --> 00:28:50 social credibility.
00:28:53 --> 00:28:54 Christianity has
00:28:54 --> 00:28:54 got no social
00:28:54 --> 00:28:55 credibility.
00:28:57 --> 00:28:57 And so the
00:28:57 --> 00:28:58 verses right
00:28:58 --> 00:28:59 before, verses
00:28:59 --> 00:29:01 13 and 16,
00:29:02 --> 00:29:03 are very
00:29:03 --> 00:29:04 important for us
00:29:04 --> 00:29:04 to grapple with
00:29:04 --> 00:29:05 in terms of what
00:29:05 --> 00:29:06 our expectations
00:29:06 --> 00:29:07 might be as
00:29:07 --> 00:29:08 salt and light.
00:29:09 --> 00:29:10 And I think
00:29:10 --> 00:29:10 this is particularly
00:29:10 --> 00:29:11 pertinent for us
00:29:11 --> 00:29:11 right now.
00:29:12 --> 00:29:12 Matthew 5,
00:29:12 --> 00:29:13 verses 11 to
00:29:13 --> 00:29:13 12,
00:29:13 --> 00:29:14 blessed are you
00:29:14 --> 00:29:15 when people
00:29:15 --> 00:29:15 insult you,
00:29:16 --> 00:29:16 persecute you,
00:29:16 --> 00:29:17 and falsely say
00:29:17 --> 00:29:17 all kinds of
00:29:17 --> 00:29:18 evil against you
00:29:18 --> 00:29:19 because of me.
00:29:19 --> 00:29:20 Rejoice and be
00:29:20 --> 00:29:22 glad because great
00:29:22 --> 00:29:23 is your reward in
00:29:23 --> 00:29:24 heaven for in the
00:29:24 --> 00:29:24 same way they
00:29:24 --> 00:29:25 persecuted the
00:29:25 --> 00:29:26 prophets who were
00:29:26 --> 00:29:27 before you.
00:29:27 --> 00:29:28 So there are five
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 things.
00:29:28 --> 00:29:28 This is a pretty
00:29:28 --> 00:29:29 sobering passage.
00:29:30 --> 00:29:30 If you're going to
00:29:30 --> 00:29:31 be salt and light,
00:29:31 --> 00:29:32 you're going to be
00:29:32 --> 00:29:32 hurt.
00:29:32 --> 00:29:33 And there are five
00:29:33 --> 00:29:34 things that I want
00:29:34 --> 00:29:35 to just say very
00:29:35 --> 00:29:36 quickly about those
00:29:36 --> 00:29:37 two verses that
00:29:37 --> 00:29:39 will help us with
00:29:39 --> 00:29:40 our expectations
00:29:40 --> 00:29:40 of what things
00:29:40 --> 00:29:41 might be like
00:29:41 --> 00:29:42 from Monday to
00:29:42 --> 00:29:42 Saturday.
00:29:44 --> 00:29:44 Firstly,
00:29:45 --> 00:29:46 this is a
00:29:46 --> 00:29:47 beatitude.
00:29:49 --> 00:29:50 Blessed are you
00:29:50 --> 00:29:51 when people
00:29:51 --> 00:29:52 insult you.
00:29:52 --> 00:29:54 Not if people
00:29:54 --> 00:29:54 insult you,
00:29:54 --> 00:29:55 but when people
00:29:55 --> 00:29:56 insult you.
00:29:57 --> 00:29:58 Every beatitude
00:29:58 --> 00:29:59 is a characteristic
00:29:59 --> 00:30:01 of the Christian.
00:30:02 --> 00:30:03 So help
00:30:03 --> 00:30:04 understand this.
00:30:04 --> 00:30:05 Every Christian
00:30:05 --> 00:30:07 must be poor
00:30:07 --> 00:30:08 in spirit.
00:30:08 --> 00:30:09 That's one of the
00:30:09 --> 00:30:09 beatitudes.
00:30:10 --> 00:30:10 Every Christian
00:30:10 --> 00:30:12 must hunger and
00:30:12 --> 00:30:13 thirst after
00:30:13 --> 00:30:14 righteousness.
00:30:14 --> 00:30:15 Or you're not a
00:30:15 --> 00:30:15 Christian.
00:30:20 --> 00:30:21 Verse 11 is the
00:30:21 --> 00:30:22 last of the
00:30:22 --> 00:30:23 beatitudes.
00:30:24 --> 00:30:25 Jesus is
00:30:25 --> 00:30:27 assuming that if
00:30:27 --> 00:30:27 you are a
00:30:27 --> 00:30:28 Christian, you
00:30:28 --> 00:30:29 will be
00:30:29 --> 00:30:30 persecuted.
00:30:32 --> 00:30:33 Or, put it
00:30:33 --> 00:30:34 more strongly, a
00:30:34 --> 00:30:36 Christian must be
00:30:36 --> 00:30:36 persecuted.
00:30:38 --> 00:30:39 If you are
00:30:39 --> 00:30:40 living in any
00:30:40 --> 00:30:41 way consistent
00:30:41 --> 00:30:42 with Christianity,
00:30:42 --> 00:30:42 you will be
00:30:42 --> 00:30:43 persecuted.
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 That's the first
00:30:43 --> 00:30:43 thing.
00:30:44 --> 00:30:45 Secondly, let me
00:30:45 --> 00:30:46 just nuance that
00:30:46 --> 00:30:47 just a little bit.
00:30:47 --> 00:30:49 Just a little bit.
00:30:49 --> 00:30:50 Notice it says,
00:30:50 --> 00:30:51 blessed are you
00:30:51 --> 00:30:51 when people
00:30:51 --> 00:30:52 insult you,
00:30:52 --> 00:30:52 persecute you,
00:30:52 --> 00:30:53 and falsely say
00:30:53 --> 00:30:53 all kinds of evil
00:30:53 --> 00:30:55 against you because
00:30:55 --> 00:30:56 of me.
00:30:57 --> 00:30:58 It's not
00:30:58 --> 00:31:00 because of
00:31:00 --> 00:31:01 you.
00:31:02 --> 00:31:03 That's the
00:31:03 --> 00:31:03 nuance in the
00:31:03 --> 00:31:04 persecution.
00:31:05 --> 00:31:06 In other words,
00:31:06 --> 00:31:07 if you're talking
00:31:07 --> 00:31:07 about the
00:31:07 --> 00:31:08 Christian faith in
00:31:08 --> 00:31:09 a tackless way,
00:31:09 --> 00:31:11 an abrasive way,
00:31:11 --> 00:31:12 an insensitive
00:31:12 --> 00:31:13 way, a
00:31:13 --> 00:31:14 loveless way, a
00:31:14 --> 00:31:14 culturally
00:31:14 --> 00:31:15 inappropriate way,
00:31:15 --> 00:31:16 and people are
00:31:16 --> 00:31:16 giving you
00:31:16 --> 00:31:17 flack because of
00:31:17 --> 00:31:19 that, then you
00:31:19 --> 00:31:20 are being
00:31:20 --> 00:31:21 persecuted for
00:31:21 --> 00:31:23 your sake, not
00:31:23 --> 00:31:24 for Christ's
00:31:24 --> 00:31:25 sake.
00:31:26 --> 00:31:27 It doesn't
00:31:27 --> 00:31:28 say, blessed
00:31:28 --> 00:31:29 are you when
00:31:29 --> 00:31:30 people persecute
00:31:30 --> 00:31:31 you for being
00:31:31 --> 00:31:32 obnoxious.
00:31:32 --> 00:31:34 if you're
00:31:34 --> 00:31:36 being obnoxious,
00:31:36 --> 00:31:36 then the
00:31:36 --> 00:31:37 blessedness
00:31:37 --> 00:31:38 promise doesn't
00:31:38 --> 00:31:39 hold, doesn't
00:31:39 --> 00:31:40 carry here.
00:31:43 --> 00:31:44 And so what you
00:31:44 --> 00:31:45 need to understand
00:31:45 --> 00:31:46 and think about
00:31:46 --> 00:31:46 that in this
00:31:46 --> 00:31:48 nuance is you
00:31:48 --> 00:31:48 need to put the
00:31:48 --> 00:31:49 beginning of the
00:31:49 --> 00:31:51 passage with the
00:31:51 --> 00:31:51 end of the
00:31:51 --> 00:31:52 passage together.
00:31:52 --> 00:31:53 The beginning
00:31:53 --> 00:31:55 says that you
00:31:55 --> 00:31:55 will be
00:31:55 --> 00:31:56 persecuted.
00:31:56 --> 00:31:57 The end
00:31:57 --> 00:31:58 says that some
00:31:58 --> 00:31:59 people will look
00:31:59 --> 00:32:01 at your life and
00:32:01 --> 00:32:01 praise your
00:32:01 --> 00:32:02 father in
00:32:02 --> 00:32:02 heaven.
00:32:03 --> 00:32:04 Two different
00:32:04 --> 00:32:05 responses.
00:32:07 --> 00:32:08 Some will
00:32:08 --> 00:32:09 hate your guts
00:32:09 --> 00:32:09 because of
00:32:09 --> 00:32:10 Jesus and
00:32:10 --> 00:32:11 some will be
00:32:11 --> 00:32:12 attracted to
00:32:12 --> 00:32:12 you because of
00:32:12 --> 00:32:13 your life and
00:32:13 --> 00:32:14 your testimony
00:32:14 --> 00:32:14 about Jesus.
00:32:16 --> 00:32:18 If both of
00:32:18 --> 00:32:19 those things are
00:32:19 --> 00:32:20 happening for
00:32:20 --> 00:32:22 you, then you
00:32:22 --> 00:32:24 are in the
00:32:24 --> 00:32:24 zone.
00:32:24 --> 00:32:26 you're in the
00:32:26 --> 00:32:27 sweet spot.
00:32:31 --> 00:32:32 If you
00:32:32 --> 00:32:33 speak the
00:32:33 --> 00:32:35 truth in an
00:32:35 --> 00:32:36 unloving way,
00:32:37 --> 00:32:37 there will be
00:32:37 --> 00:32:38 persecution for
00:32:38 --> 00:32:40 sure, but there
00:32:40 --> 00:32:40 will not be
00:32:40 --> 00:32:41 attraction.
00:32:42 --> 00:32:43 If you
00:32:43 --> 00:32:45 love people,
00:32:45 --> 00:32:46 you will be
00:32:46 --> 00:32:47 attractive,
00:32:48 --> 00:32:49 but there will
00:32:49 --> 00:32:50 be no persecution
00:32:50 --> 00:32:52 for truth and
00:32:52 --> 00:32:53 no one might
00:32:53 --> 00:32:54 ever come
00:32:54 --> 00:32:55 to faith,
00:32:55 --> 00:32:56 to Jesus
00:32:56 --> 00:32:57 because of
00:32:57 --> 00:32:57 you.
00:32:59 --> 00:33:00 If you're
00:33:00 --> 00:33:01 always being
00:33:01 --> 00:33:02 persecuted, but
00:33:02 --> 00:33:02 no one comes
00:33:02 --> 00:33:03 to faith, you're
00:33:03 --> 00:33:04 probably being
00:33:04 --> 00:33:05 persecuted because
00:33:05 --> 00:33:06 of character
00:33:06 --> 00:33:07 flaws.
00:33:08 --> 00:33:09 If you are
00:33:09 --> 00:33:10 never being
00:33:10 --> 00:33:11 persecuted, if
00:33:11 --> 00:33:12 you never get
00:33:12 --> 00:33:13 any pushback, if
00:33:13 --> 00:33:14 no one is ever
00:33:14 --> 00:33:15 hostile towards
00:33:15 --> 00:33:17 you for being a
00:33:17 --> 00:33:19 Christian, then
00:33:19 --> 00:33:20 you're probably
00:33:20 --> 00:33:21 being a coward
00:33:21 --> 00:33:23 with the
00:33:23 --> 00:33:23 truth.
00:33:23 --> 00:33:24 You're probably
00:33:24 --> 00:33:25 not speaking
00:33:25 --> 00:33:25 up.
00:33:27 --> 00:33:28 So the
00:33:28 --> 00:33:28 question is,
00:33:28 --> 00:33:29 point number
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 two, are
00:33:29 --> 00:33:29 you living in
00:33:29 --> 00:33:30 the zone?
00:33:31 --> 00:33:33 Point number
00:33:33 --> 00:33:34 three, as a
00:33:34 --> 00:33:35 Christian, and
00:33:35 --> 00:33:35 I don't think we
00:33:35 --> 00:33:36 can ever escape
00:33:36 --> 00:33:38 this, that is,
00:33:39 --> 00:33:39 we can never
00:33:39 --> 00:33:40 escape the
00:33:40 --> 00:33:40 persecution.
00:33:40 --> 00:33:42 It's not unique
00:33:42 --> 00:33:42 to a secular
00:33:42 --> 00:33:43 age.
00:33:43 --> 00:33:44 Christians are
00:33:44 --> 00:33:44 persecuted because,
00:33:44 --> 00:33:45 as Jesus says in
00:33:45 --> 00:33:46 verse 11,
00:33:46 --> 00:33:47 because of me.
00:33:47 --> 00:33:49 Jesus has been
00:33:49 --> 00:33:50 uniquely hated
00:33:50 --> 00:33:51 in history.
00:33:53 --> 00:33:54 There are
00:33:54 --> 00:33:55 secular scholars
00:33:55 --> 00:33:56 who acknowledge
00:33:56 --> 00:33:56 that.
00:33:57 --> 00:33:58 There are secular
00:33:58 --> 00:33:59 scholars who
00:33:59 --> 00:34:00 acknowledge that
00:34:00 --> 00:34:00 there are New
00:34:00 --> 00:34:01 Testament scholars
00:34:01 --> 00:34:03 whose main goal
00:34:03 --> 00:34:04 in being a New
00:34:04 --> 00:34:05 Testament scholar
00:34:05 --> 00:34:06 is to
00:34:06 --> 00:34:08 discredit Jesus.
00:34:10 --> 00:34:11 He has been
00:34:11 --> 00:34:12 uniquely hated.
00:34:12 --> 00:34:13 Why?
00:34:13 --> 00:34:14 Because if
00:34:14 --> 00:34:15 Jesus is
00:34:15 --> 00:34:16 right, then
00:34:16 --> 00:34:17 he is the
00:34:17 --> 00:34:18 Son of God,
00:34:18 --> 00:34:19 he is the
00:34:19 --> 00:34:19 Lord of the
00:34:19 --> 00:34:20 universe, he
00:34:20 --> 00:34:20 is the judge
00:34:20 --> 00:34:21 and saver of
00:34:21 --> 00:34:22 all humanity,
00:34:22 --> 00:34:23 and if he's
00:34:23 --> 00:34:24 correct on those
00:34:24 --> 00:34:25 things, then
00:34:25 --> 00:34:25 you lose
00:34:25 --> 00:34:26 control of
00:34:26 --> 00:34:26 your life.
00:34:27 --> 00:34:28 He is
00:34:28 --> 00:34:28 king.
00:34:29 --> 00:34:30 You lose
00:34:30 --> 00:34:30 control of
00:34:30 --> 00:34:31 your life.
00:34:31 --> 00:34:32 We have no
00:34:32 --> 00:34:33 alternative but
00:34:33 --> 00:34:35 to surrender and
00:34:35 --> 00:34:35 give ourselves
00:34:35 --> 00:34:37 over to him, if
00:34:37 --> 00:34:38 he's correct.
00:34:39 --> 00:34:39 Jesus says in
00:34:39 --> 00:34:42 John 15, if the
00:34:42 --> 00:34:43 world hates him,
00:34:43 --> 00:34:43 it will hate
00:34:43 --> 00:34:44 those who follow
00:34:44 --> 00:34:45 him, because a
00:34:45 --> 00:34:46 servant is not
00:34:46 --> 00:34:46 greater than his
00:34:46 --> 00:34:47 master.
00:34:47 --> 00:34:48 And so if
00:34:48 --> 00:34:48 you're a
00:34:48 --> 00:34:49 Christian, that
00:34:49 --> 00:34:50 lot will fall
00:34:50 --> 00:34:51 on you.
00:34:52 --> 00:34:53 Fourthly, if
00:34:53 --> 00:34:53 you find
00:34:53 --> 00:34:54 yourself insulted
00:34:54 --> 00:34:55 and persecuted
00:34:55 --> 00:34:56 and people saying
00:34:56 --> 00:34:57 all kinds of
00:34:57 --> 00:34:58 false things about
00:34:58 --> 00:35:01 you, don't
00:35:01 --> 00:35:02 whinge about
00:35:02 --> 00:35:02 it.
00:35:04 --> 00:35:04 I don't think
00:35:04 --> 00:35:05 there's any
00:35:05 --> 00:35:06 room for self-pity
00:35:06 --> 00:35:06 here.
00:35:07 --> 00:35:09 It comes with
00:35:09 --> 00:35:09 the territory
00:35:09 --> 00:35:11 of being his
00:35:11 --> 00:35:11 representatives.
00:35:12 --> 00:35:12 He says here,
00:35:12 --> 00:35:13 in the same
00:35:13 --> 00:35:14 way, they
00:35:14 --> 00:35:15 persecuted the
00:35:15 --> 00:35:16 prophets before
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 you.
00:35:16 --> 00:35:16 It's nothing
00:35:16 --> 00:35:17 new.
00:35:17 --> 00:35:18 It ought
00:35:18 --> 00:35:18 to be
00:35:18 --> 00:35:19 expected.
00:35:20 --> 00:35:23 Fifthly, how
00:35:23 --> 00:35:24 do we handle
00:35:24 --> 00:35:25 the inevitable
00:35:25 --> 00:35:26 difficulty of
00:35:26 --> 00:35:28 moulding culture
00:35:28 --> 00:35:29 in a secular
00:35:29 --> 00:35:30 post-Christian
00:35:30 --> 00:35:31 culture?
00:35:32 --> 00:35:33 How do we
00:35:33 --> 00:35:33 cope with that
00:35:33 --> 00:35:34 flack?
00:35:34 --> 00:35:35 How do we
00:35:35 --> 00:35:35 cope with,
00:35:36 --> 00:35:36 because it
00:35:36 --> 00:35:37 will cost you,
00:35:37 --> 00:35:38 it will cost you
00:35:38 --> 00:35:39 your reputation,
00:35:39 --> 00:35:40 it will cost you
00:35:40 --> 00:35:40 a bunch of
00:35:40 --> 00:35:41 things.
00:35:41 --> 00:35:42 How do we
00:35:42 --> 00:35:43 handle that?
00:35:43 --> 00:35:44 You handle it
00:35:44 --> 00:35:45 by looking to
00:35:45 --> 00:35:47 Jesus and
00:35:47 --> 00:35:47 what he has
00:35:47 --> 00:35:48 promised.
00:35:48 --> 00:35:49 In Philippians
00:35:49 --> 00:35:49 2, we are
00:35:49 --> 00:35:50 told that
00:35:50 --> 00:35:51 Jesus made
00:35:51 --> 00:35:52 himself as
00:35:52 --> 00:35:53 someone with
00:35:53 --> 00:35:55 no reputation.
00:35:55 --> 00:35:56 He had
00:35:56 --> 00:35:57 glory, he
00:35:57 --> 00:35:58 had honour,
00:35:58 --> 00:35:59 and he became
00:35:59 --> 00:36:00 rejected.
00:36:01 --> 00:36:01 He was
00:36:01 --> 00:36:02 shamed, he
00:36:02 --> 00:36:03 was humiliated.
00:36:04 --> 00:36:05 The cross was
00:36:05 --> 00:36:06 the way that
00:36:06 --> 00:36:06 you killed
00:36:06 --> 00:36:07 someone who
00:36:07 --> 00:36:08 you truly
00:36:08 --> 00:36:09 despised.
00:36:09 --> 00:36:10 It was a
00:36:10 --> 00:36:11 dishonourable
00:36:11 --> 00:36:12 death, and
00:36:12 --> 00:36:13 he lost
00:36:13 --> 00:36:14 his reputation,
00:36:14 --> 00:36:15 and we
00:36:15 --> 00:36:16 are saved
00:36:16 --> 00:36:18 through his
00:36:18 --> 00:36:19 persecution,
00:36:19 --> 00:36:20 and his
00:36:20 --> 00:36:21 loss of
00:36:21 --> 00:36:21 reputation.
00:36:23 --> 00:36:24 We are
00:36:24 --> 00:36:25 saved through
00:36:25 --> 00:36:25 Jesus'
00:36:26 --> 00:36:27 shame, so
00:36:27 --> 00:36:27 that we
00:36:27 --> 00:36:28 will not
00:36:28 --> 00:36:29 die in
00:36:29 --> 00:36:29 shame.
00:36:29 --> 00:36:30 Our names
00:36:30 --> 00:36:30 are written
00:36:30 --> 00:36:31 in heaven,
00:36:31 --> 00:36:32 we will
00:36:32 --> 00:36:32 live with
00:36:32 --> 00:36:33 honour and
00:36:33 --> 00:36:34 glory forever,
00:36:34 --> 00:36:36 because Jesus
00:36:36 --> 00:36:37 chose to
00:36:37 --> 00:36:38 reject those
00:36:38 --> 00:36:38 things.
00:36:41 --> 00:36:43 I think
00:36:43 --> 00:36:43 it means,
00:36:44 --> 00:36:45 frankly, that
00:36:45 --> 00:36:46 we can take
00:36:46 --> 00:36:47 the shame
00:36:47 --> 00:36:48 of persecution,
00:36:48 --> 00:36:49 we can take
00:36:49 --> 00:36:50 people thinking
00:36:50 --> 00:36:50 that we're a
00:36:50 --> 00:36:51 bunch of
00:36:51 --> 00:36:51 losers and
00:36:51 --> 00:36:52 idiots, we
00:36:52 --> 00:36:53 can take it
00:36:53 --> 00:36:53 when you
00:36:53 --> 00:36:53 stick your
00:36:53 --> 00:36:54 head up too
00:36:54 --> 00:36:54 high, someone's
00:36:54 --> 00:36:55 going to
00:36:55 --> 00:36:55 want to
00:36:55 --> 00:36:55 punch it,
00:36:56 --> 00:36:57 we can
00:36:57 --> 00:36:58 take it
00:36:58 --> 00:37:00 so that we
00:37:00 --> 00:37:00 might have
00:37:00 --> 00:37:01 the ultimate
00:37:01 --> 00:37:01 honour.
00:37:04 --> 00:37:05 He took
00:37:05 --> 00:37:05 the ultimate
00:37:05 --> 00:37:07 shame so
00:37:07 --> 00:37:07 that we
00:37:07 --> 00:37:07 might have
00:37:07 --> 00:37:08 the ultimate
00:37:08 --> 00:37:08 honour.
00:37:08 --> 00:37:12 societies
00:37:12 --> 00:37:12 come and
00:37:12 --> 00:37:14 go, and
00:37:14 --> 00:37:15 some are
00:37:15 --> 00:37:16 very hostile
00:37:16 --> 00:37:16 to Christianity,
00:37:16 --> 00:37:17 but Christians
00:37:17 --> 00:37:17 are not
00:37:17 --> 00:37:18 powerless, I
00:37:18 --> 00:37:18 think that's
00:37:18 --> 00:37:19 the point
00:37:19 --> 00:37:20 here, it's
00:37:20 --> 00:37:20 a sobering
00:37:20 --> 00:37:21 message, it's
00:37:21 --> 00:37:21 a difficult
00:37:21 --> 00:37:22 message, but
00:37:22 --> 00:37:23 we are not
00:37:23 --> 00:37:25 powerless, even
00:37:25 --> 00:37:26 when we don't
00:37:26 --> 00:37:27 appear to have
00:37:27 --> 00:37:28 a voice.
00:37:29 --> 00:37:30 We have
00:37:30 --> 00:37:30 Jesus Christ,
00:37:31 --> 00:37:31 we have
00:37:31 --> 00:37:32 his gospel,
00:37:33 --> 00:37:34 his ideals
00:37:34 --> 00:37:34 and his
00:37:34 --> 00:37:36 power, and
00:37:36 --> 00:37:37 Jesus is all
00:37:37 --> 00:37:37 the salt,
00:37:37 --> 00:37:38 all the
00:37:38 --> 00:37:39 light that
00:37:39 --> 00:37:40 this decaying
00:37:40 --> 00:37:40 and dark
00:37:40 --> 00:37:41 world needs.
00:37:41 --> 00:37:42 And so
00:37:42 --> 00:37:43 friends, take
00:37:43 --> 00:37:44 courage, you
00:37:44 --> 00:37:46 are the
00:37:46 --> 00:37:47 salt of
00:37:47 --> 00:37:48 the earth
00:37:48 --> 00:37:49 if you are
00:37:49 --> 00:37:49 living a
00:37:49 --> 00:37:50 consistent
00:37:50 --> 00:37:50 Christian
00:37:50 --> 00:37:51 life.
00:37:51 --> 00:37:52 Take
00:37:52 --> 00:37:54 courage, you
00:37:54 --> 00:37:54 are the
00:37:54 --> 00:37:55 light of
00:37:55 --> 00:37:56 the world
00:37:56 --> 00:37:56 if you are
00:37:56 --> 00:37:57 living a
00:37:57 --> 00:37:57 consistent
00:37:57 --> 00:37:57 Christian
00:37:57 --> 00:37:58 life.
00:38:00 --> 00:38:01 It is, I
00:38:01 --> 00:38:02 believe, a
00:38:02 --> 00:38:03 hopeful
00:38:03 --> 00:38:05 message, but
00:38:05 --> 00:38:06 a sobering
00:38:06 --> 00:38:07 message, but
00:38:07 --> 00:38:08 it ends
00:38:08 --> 00:38:09 with great
00:38:09 --> 00:38:09 joy.
00:38:10 --> 00:38:11 Rejoice
00:38:11 --> 00:38:11 and be
00:38:11 --> 00:38:13 glad, because
00:38:13 --> 00:38:14 great is your
00:38:14 --> 00:38:15 reward in
00:38:15 --> 00:38:15 heaven.
00:38:15 --> 00:38:15 Amen.
00:38:15 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:16 Amen.
00:38:16 --> 00:38:17 Amen.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Amen.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Amen.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Amen.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Amen.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Amen.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Amen.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Amen.
00:38:17 --> 00:38:17 Amen.