Salt and Light - Heaven Part 8

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We like to say we're a church on
a mission, and that mission is

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to see people far from God
discover their real life and

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their purpose in Jesus.
And all that really means is

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this is that when you walk
through this world long, if you

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get kicked in the teeth, you get
beat down and sometimes you

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don't know where to go.
You don't have an answer, you

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don't know what the next step
is.

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And a lot of times we have
people that walk in and they're

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giving God this last chance and
they don't know what else to do.

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And our opportunity, our
blessing is to reunite them with

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the purpose that God has always
had for them and they're just

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not getting ready to discover.
So we're excited that you're on

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mission with us here in real
life, and we can't wait to see

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what God's going to do in so
many people's lives today.

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You guys are here on our awesome
Sunday.

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We are continuing in the middle
of a message here is called

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heaven.
If you guys have been here, the

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idea is this is a lot of us.
We think that our best days are

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behind.
That's right.

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And that's not the truth.
That's a lie from the enemy.

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And through this heaven series,
we've been re evaluating and re

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clarifying what our values are,
what we're looking forward to.

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And we've talked about questions
of what does heaven look like?

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What are we going to do there?
And so it has been so awesome

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just to see Pastor Sean just
share with a vision of what

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heaven is.
But I don't know if you guys

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know this or not.
Heaven isn't just a destination,

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it's part of a Kingdom of God.
That Kingdom of God isn't just a

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later, it's a now.
And so the Kingdom of God really

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shapes the way we live, what we
do, what we value and what we

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want and how we follow Jesus.
So today we're going to continue

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in our seven series, our heaven
series about salt and light.

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And I want you guys to woke up
Logan Hardy as we continue the

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series.
Like that balancing act.

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Well spoiler alert sorry to
burst you guys a bubble, I'm not

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Sean.
I think we're similar.

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If Sean was 5 inches shorter and
had a few 1000 less hair

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follicles I really don't think
would be that far off.

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But man, I had like a whole lot
I wanted to say to start this

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message, but I don't know about
you guys, but I was a little bit

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floored by the worship today.
Did you guys enjoy the worship

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today?
So if you guys don't mind, I'm

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just going to open a prayer and
just kind of set our hearts on

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God.
So if you guys all would bow

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your head, close your eyes,
Thank God you are not just good,

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but you are so, so good.
If we take nothing else away

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from today, if I just bumble my
words the entire morning, let us

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take away that we should praise
your name for forever and

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forever and forever, not just in
church, but our everyday lives

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and our workplaces and every the
aspect of our lives.

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We should show the light of
Jesus to others.

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Jesus name.
Hey, man, well, I'm super

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excited to be up here this
morning.

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I've been, I don't know about
you guys.

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Raise your hand real high.
If you haven't been enjoying

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this message series on heaven
real high.

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I have glasses on and the lights
are on.

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So I'm just gonna take your word
that the hands are up.

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But I'm gonna I'm gonna ask for
you guys hands a few times

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because this has kind of been
like one of those sermon series

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or message series that you just
don't want to end, right?

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So if during this series on
heaven, if you have learned

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something new, raise your hand.
OK, Again, taking your word that

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your hands are up, my hand is
up.

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If you've been encouraged by
this series, raise your hand if

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you found a reason to kind of
push forward with a little bit

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more of a smile on your face,
face because you know that you

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have heaven waiting for you.
OK.

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And then last question
specifically talking about last

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week, because you guys remember
the message last week that Sean

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did.
We talked about how Heaven helps

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us persevere through pain and he
gives us a reason for

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forgiveness.
If you were challenged by either

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last week's message or any
message in this series, would

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you raise your hand real high?
This should be all of us.

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I feel like if you take nothing
else out of a series through

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heaven, you should be
challenged.

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So what we're going to continue
in today is I hope that you walk

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away with a heart of being
challenged based off this

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message.
I know I was challenged when I

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was writing it.
And spoiler alert, if you're

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here and you are in real life
youth, you heard something very

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similar this last Wednesday.
But I knew I was super

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challenged when I was writing
this.

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And before we get into the
scripture, I'm going to set this

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morning up with an illustration.
I want you guys to imagine for

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me.
I want you to imagine the most

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stereotypical American tours
that you can.

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Country doesn't matter.
Maybe for the sake of this

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illustration, we'll say it's
Venice, Italy.

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I want you to think of the most
stereotypical American tours

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that you can, going through the
streets of Venice, Italy.

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We'll build 1 together.
We'll give this fictionary

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fictional person a fake name.
We'll call it Drew.

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We'll call this person Drew.
So when I think of Drew, again,

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a fictional person has no
connection with anybody here.

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What I think of what Drew would
look like in going through

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Venice, Italy, I imagine Drew
with just globs and globs of no

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sunscreen just dripping off of
his nose.

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When I picture Drew, I picture
Drew in a big ridiculous hat.

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You know, like a straw hat
thing.

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Kind of goes out four foot each
direction.

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Gives him shade for all of him
and his kids.

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I think of Drew rocking is
slightly a three quarter of the

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way buttoned up Hawaiian shirt.
I think of him in khaki shorts

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sporting the biggest Fanny pack
you've ever seen.

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When I think of Drew going
through Venice, Italy, I think

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of Drew going on a bird scooter
through the sidewalks, pushing

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all the locals out of his way
just to get to the next

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restaurant for his bread or
whatever he likes.

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I don't know.
So when I think of Drew, would

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you guys agree that we think of
a person as an American tourist,

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somebody that stands out, right?
The idea of American culture and

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American identity is so
pervasive and it's so strong, it

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is going to be very hard to miss
an American in a place that

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they're not supposed to be.
If you're in Italy and you see

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an American on the street, it is
going to be obvious.

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It is going to be obvious that
Drew is not the culture of

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Italian that we think he is.
So when we think about today,

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here's what I want you to have
on your heart is when you're

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actually marked by a strong
identity and when you actually

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are a foreigner in a foreign
place, you should stand out.

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In the same way Drew stands out
in Italy when he's on his bird

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scooter with his nose sunscreen
and is slightly buttoned up

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Hawaiian shirt.
If we truly are citizens of

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heaven, we should stand out when
we're here on earth, correct?

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So that's going to be the heart
behind this message today.

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My dad, Barry asked a few weeks
ago, I don't know if if you were

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here for it, he gave a message
series on asking what is your

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tribe?
Where do you really plant your

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flag?
Where do you find your sense of

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identity?
You know, where do you find your

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sense of culture and how does it
stand out among other people?

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So if we follow the logic of
that tourist illustration, if we

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are truly marked by Jesus and if
we are truly destined for

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heaven, it should be very
obvious that this person is not

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of earth.
In the same way you're in Italy,

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like man, that guy has to be an
American if you're on earth,

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like that guy has to be bound
for heaven.

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So that's a challenge.
If you have your Bibles going to

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start in Philippians chapter 3
and we're going to see Paul

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talking to the Church of
Philippi.

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And Philippians is one of the
like one of the coolest books in

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the whole Bible because it's if
you read a lot of Paul's

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letters, it's a whole lot of you
do this wrong, you do this

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wrong, you do this wrong.
But Philippians really isn't

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that much of a letter of
correction and more it's a

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letter of exhortation.
So we're going to be starting in

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chapter 3, verse 17, and it
starts join together and

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following my example, brothers
and sisters.

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And just as you have us as a
model, keep your eyes on those

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who live as we do before we get
into anything.

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I pulled a lot of meaning out of
this one verse.

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This doesn't really tie that
neatly into the message, but I

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think that if you follow the the
verse 17, if you follow verse

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17, everything that we're going
to talk about gets a whole lot

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easier.
Verse 17, what does it start

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with?
Join together.

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Is it or is it not a lot easier
to live as a Christian when

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you're living among Christian
brothers and sisters?

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Man, if you guys are not in a
life group right now, I would

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encourage you to join a life
group as soon as possible.

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If you're coming to church every
other week, or even less so than

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that, I'd insure, I'd encourage
you come to church consistently.

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Find a church to get planted
into.

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It is so much easier to live a
godly life when you're

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surrounded by godly people.
Full stop.

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I'm in the way scripture group.
So depending on how you feel

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about me, that could either be a
really good group or it might be

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a group to avoid.
Talk to Jamie or Brett,

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depending on how you think about
me and then look at.

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So join together and following
my example.

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Paul is writing the Church of
Philippi in this letter and he's

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saying that the Church of
Philippi is going to have a lot

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easier of a time to live a godly
life if they follow the example

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set by Paul.
And as you get later on in

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Timothy and Titus, if you're not
in here this morning and you

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don't have a mentor or somebody
that you can look up to, if you

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don't have an older gentleman or
an older lady in your life that

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has walked the walk that you're
trying to live and lives a godly

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life that you can emulate, you
are starting behind the curve.

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It is so much easier to live a
godly life when you have

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somebody to emulate.
So that's my charge for you guys

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as we get into start do life
together, join a life group,

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find somebody to emulate.
Amen, Amen.

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All right picking up going on
verse 18 for I has often told

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you before and now tell you
again even with tears.

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Many live as enemies of the
cross of Christ.

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Their destiny is destruction.
Their God is their stomach and

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their glory is in their shame.
Their mind is set on what

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earthly things?
Verse 20.

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Notice the contradiction.
But our citizenship is in

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heaven, and we eagerly await a
Savior from there, the Lord

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Jesus Christ, who by the power
that enables Him to bring

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everything under His control,
will transform our lowly bodies

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so they will be like His
glorious body.

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A lot to unpack here.
Notice in verse 18 and 19 you

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have the characteristics and the
distinctives of those bound for

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destruction and notice in verse
20 and 21 you have the

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distinctives of those that are
bound for heaven.

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So what I'd like to think is, is
you look at verse 18 and 19, you

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get a blueprint and a step by
step guide on how to blend into

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the world around you.
If you want to blend into the

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world around you, you're going
to let God, your God be your

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stomach.
You're going to be driven and

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you're going to be dictated by
indulgence in the pleasures of

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the world.
That could look like gluttony.

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If you're like me and like you
choose your restaurant based on

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how big the serving sizes are,
that could that could, that

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could be sexual immorality,
addiction to partaking in that

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kind of pleasure.
Really it all roots back to self

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worship.
If you want to blend into the

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world around you, put yourself
first.

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Put your feelings 1st and put
your wants 1st.

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And moving forward from that, if
you want to blend into the

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world, you're going to find
glory in your shame.

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If you want to blend into the
world, the things that distaste

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and disappoint God the most,
you're going to find the most

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pleasure in, like sexual
immorality.

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Like we're talking about finding
pride in the opposite of what

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God calls.
And if you want to blend into

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the world, the way of the world
leads to an unmistakable end.

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It leads to an unmistakable
ending for your life.

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I don't say this to scare you
guys, but I say this because it

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00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:29,920
is a reality.
How many you guys know that we

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are all eternal beings, For
better or for worse, we are all

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going to live forever.
The only question is, are you

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going to live in eternal life or
are you going to live in eternal

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death?
And following the way of the

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world leads to the latter.
Paul writes that their destiny,

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destiny is destruction because
where Christ brings life, the

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secular lifestyle in the secular
world brings the opposite.

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But the good news, because I'm
not, if this isn't a sad

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00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:55,040
message, this is a hopeful
message.

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The good news is that Jesus
gives us a way to stand out.

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And the way to stand out is by
following the way of Jesus.

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I mean, your citizenship is in
heaven if you follow Jesus.

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And in like the same way that
American tourists find

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00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,480
themselves sticking out wherever
they go, citizens of heaven

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00:11:09,480 --> 00:11:11,240
should stick out wherever they
go.

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I mean, if you have a
citizenship in heaven, you have

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a promise that you will be made
holy.

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If you're a citizen of heaven,
you have a reason to stand out.

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And that's because we're eagerly
awaiting who Jesus.

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We're eagerly awaiting our
Savior.

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What would it look like if you
lived?

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00:11:26,800 --> 00:11:29,320
And if I lived, because I'm not,
I'm not just talking at you

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00:11:29,320 --> 00:11:32,480
guys, this is me a part of this.
What would it look like if we

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lived like we actually believe
that Jesus was coming back?

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00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:38,320
What would it look like if every
single action we took, every

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single day, we understood we
were giving account to Jesus for

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00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:42,720
it?
How much easier to say like,

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00:11:42,720 --> 00:11:45,680
yeah, Jesus, I messed up this
day, but I felt regret for it

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00:11:45,680 --> 00:11:48,680
and I fixed it moving forward
rather than, yes, Jesus, I fell

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00:11:48,680 --> 00:11:50,520
into habitual sin and I never
got out of that.

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00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,720
I never got out of that rut.
So this is going to frame what

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we're going to talk about this
morning.

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00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:58,920
You have two ways to live.
You have the way of blending in,

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00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,040
which is the way of the world,
or you have the way of standing

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00:12:02,040 --> 00:12:06,200
out, which is the way of Jesus.
So what does that look like

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00:12:06,200 --> 00:12:07,640
practically?
If you guys still have your

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00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:09,360
Bibles out, and I hope you all
have your Bibles, this is going

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00:12:09,360 --> 00:12:12,240
to be a lot easier to read.
I encourage you guys all to read

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00:12:12,240 --> 00:12:13,800
out of your Bible rather than on
the screen.

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00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:15,040
If you don't have a Bible,
that's awesome.

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00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,200
But if you can follow along in
your physical Bible and practice

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00:12:18,200 --> 00:12:20,840
studying in that, it is going to
be so much more fruitful for

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you.
So if you do have it, we're

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00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:28,320
going to be in Matthew chapter 5
and Jesus is just getting, he's

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00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:29,680
preaching the Sermon on the
Mount.

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00:12:29,680 --> 00:12:32,240
He just got out of the
Beatitudes and he's picking up

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00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:35,680
and he is talking about two
specific, I don't know exactly

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00:12:35,680 --> 00:12:36,880
what to call it.
It almost feels like they're

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00:12:36,880 --> 00:12:39,720
metaphors, but they're charges
for the people of God and

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00:12:39,720 --> 00:12:42,480
they're going to be talking
about what does it look like to

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00:12:42,480 --> 00:12:45,720
be the salt of the earth and
what does it look like to carry

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00:12:45,720 --> 00:12:49,640
the light of the world?
So salt of the earth 513 Jesus

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00:12:49,640 --> 00:12:51,160
says you are the salt of the
earth.

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00:12:51,480 --> 00:12:54,240
But if the salt loses its
saltiness, how can it be made

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00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:57,040
salty again?
It is no longer good for

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00:12:57,800 --> 00:13:00,760
anything except to be thrown out
and trampled under foot.

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00:13:01,720 --> 00:13:04,120
I don't know about you guys, but
I'm very thankful that salt does

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00:13:04,120 --> 00:13:06,120
not blend in.
But salt stands out.

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00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:08,800
The first time I ever tried
cooking anything, I tried to

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00:13:08,800 --> 00:13:10,960
make steak bites.
I was not aware that you don't

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00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:14,840
fill up an entire like like inch
of oil on the bottom of your

287
00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:16,520
pan.
So when I dropped my steak in,

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00:13:16,520 --> 00:13:18,520
it spotted up on me and my skin
got all bubbly.

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00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,000
It was really bad.
That should tell you the level

290
00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:23,680
of a cook I am.
If salt did not exist, nothing I

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00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:26,920
made would be edible.
If Heinz 57, it didn't exist.

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00:13:26,920 --> 00:13:29,080
Nothing I made would be edible.
But salt?

293
00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,440
Salt stands out.
It doesn't blend in.

294
00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:33,720
You notice salt when you bite
into a Chick-fil-A fry that's

295
00:13:33,720 --> 00:13:36,000
too salty.
Like it's very obvious that salt

296
00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,040
is present.
So my question is for you.

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00:13:38,040 --> 00:13:40,560
Are you like salt?
Do you stand out in your

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00:13:40,560 --> 00:13:43,200
everyday life?
Like, do you make in the same

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00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:46,480
way salt makes Logan's cooking
bearable, Do you make the

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00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:48,560
downtroddenness of the world
bearable?

301
00:13:48,840 --> 00:13:51,640
Are you salt mixing into the
nasty food of life?

302
00:13:52,200 --> 00:13:55,480
I mean, I'll tell you guys that
I'm saying this as a reflective

303
00:13:55,480 --> 00:13:57,800
piece on my end because I don't
know how many of you know, it

304
00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:00,240
used to be full time, but now I
go to school and whatnot.

305
00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:04,120
So two days a week, I work for
my dad and we work concrete.

306
00:14:04,920 --> 00:14:06,280
So concrete work.
I don't know what you guys

307
00:14:06,280 --> 00:14:07,120
should.
I don't know what you guys know

308
00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:09,080
about concrete work.
It is not the most edifying

309
00:14:09,080 --> 00:14:12,400
place I've got not really in any
sense at all.

310
00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:17,160
And so I'm up here preaching,
right?

311
00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:18,560
I, I, I help run our youth
group.

312
00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:22,040
I go to Bible college.
It should stand to reason that

313
00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:24,640
Man Logan sticks out like a Thor
sum on the concrete site.

314
00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:27,400
There's like all these Pagan
heathens pouring concrete, and

315
00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:30,560
then there's this godly guy over
here that's paving the way for

316
00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,680
them to know Jesus.
That's what it should be, right?

317
00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:36,200
What do you think it really is?
No, I blend in.

318
00:14:36,840 --> 00:14:40,400
I behave the exact way that they
do on the job site.

319
00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:43,200
Man, when I'm at work, I say
things that I shouldn't say.

320
00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:48,120
The jokes I come up with at work
rival like anything I'll find on

321
00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:50,400
the Internet and it is so funny
in the moment.

322
00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:53,040
But then I get home and I'm like
man, is that really like how I

323
00:14:53,040 --> 00:14:55,480
should carry myself?
Like I'm going to have to give

324
00:14:55,480 --> 00:14:57,520
account to God for that joke I
just told.

325
00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:00,360
That was the most afraid thing I
could think of and I got 2

326
00:15:00,360 --> 00:15:05,200
minutes of laughter, man.
When I'm on the job site, I act

327
00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:09,040
in ways that I shouldn't act.
The fruit of the Spirit is

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00:15:09,040 --> 00:15:12,440
kindness, forbearance, and
patience, among other things.

329
00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:17,920
I am not kind at work.
I do not have patience at work.

330
00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:19,320
I, I do not have forbearance at
work.

331
00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:22,920
I don't carry myself in the way
God calls me to at work or how I

332
00:15:22,920 --> 00:15:26,160
carry myself here at church.
Man, I am not like salt at all

333
00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,720
on my job site.
I more often than not, I blend

334
00:15:28,720 --> 00:15:32,440
in and there is no salt to make
that nasty food a little bit

335
00:15:32,440 --> 00:15:34,640
more bearable and a little bit
more tenable.

336
00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,440
So that's me.
I asked you guys, how do you

337
00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:40,720
look at your job site?
I don't know where you work.

338
00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:43,160
If you work outside, maybe you
work in a school, maybe you work

339
00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,520
in an office.
How do you blend into your work?

340
00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,320
Is it very obvious that there's
an ambassador of Christ among

341
00:15:49,320 --> 00:15:52,120
the world at your work?
Is it very obvious in the same

342
00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:54,600
way Drew rides his Bird scooter
across the Venice streets?

343
00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,720
Do you stand out in that same
manner or you just like your

344
00:15:58,720 --> 00:16:01,080
coworkers?
Do you carry yourself just like

345
00:16:01,080 --> 00:16:02,480
your coworkers?
And how do you?

346
00:16:02,480 --> 00:16:04,160
Here's another one.
OK, we'll pick up off last week.

347
00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:05,840
How do you present yourself on
social media?

348
00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:08,400
This is not as much of an area
for struggle for me, but I know

349
00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:09,840
for some of you this is an area
of struggle.

350
00:16:10,400 --> 00:16:12,960
Are you like the rest of the
world on social media?

351
00:16:12,960 --> 00:16:17,200
Are you full of judgement,
superiority, moral casting down

352
00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:18,640
on other people?
Or are you different?

353
00:16:18,640 --> 00:16:20,960
Are you salt that you stand out
in the way that you're full of

354
00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:23,760
grace and you're full of
encouragement on social media?

355
00:16:24,600 --> 00:16:27,400
What about everyday life?
Not how we carry ourselves on

356
00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,680
the phone, not how we carry
ourselves at our job site.

357
00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,400
But when you're going to the
grocery store, when you're when

358
00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:35,400
you're taking your evening walk
in the park to get your calories

359
00:16:35,400 --> 00:16:39,240
cut meant do you blend into the
rest of the grocery store?

360
00:16:40,040 --> 00:16:42,320
Do you blend into everybody else
around you at the park?

361
00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:45,920
When you see a crying stranger
on the park seat, do you stop to

362
00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:49,920
comfort her or do you be, are
you more on your itinerary?

363
00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:52,360
I got to be home by this time.
I got to do this.

364
00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:54,920
I got to do that.
Do you stand out in public?

365
00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:56,920
And here's maybe the most simple
example of all.

366
00:16:57,440 --> 00:16:59,680
If you guys are like me, is it
awkward sometimes just to pray

367
00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:03,040
in public just to stand out in
any way possible?

368
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:06,160
I mean, some of us are just
scared and uncomfortable to pray

369
00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:10,960
in public because it stands out.
One of the biggest temptations

370
00:17:10,960 --> 00:17:12,480
of being a Christian is to blend
in.

371
00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:16,640
What if they think I'm weird?
What if they think any number of

372
00:17:16,640 --> 00:17:18,800
things?
I'm going to reference a movie

373
00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,079
that I am not allowed to name on
the stage.

374
00:17:21,400 --> 00:17:23,640
Suffice to say that it's not a
movie I should have watched, but

375
00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,960
this picture is really good.
So in in Asian cultures there is

376
00:17:27,960 --> 00:17:32,240
a rice dish called Joe and what
it is, is it's soft rice boiled

377
00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:34,320
in water and serve mostly to the
elderly.

378
00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,680
Joe is safe.
It's inoffensive, it is

379
00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:41,040
unmemorable, it is easily
digestible.

380
00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:44,280
And a big temptation for us
Christians is to be like the Joe

381
00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:49,680
to be, to be inoffensive, to not
stir the pot, to not cause any

382
00:17:49,680 --> 00:17:53,160
waves, to play it safe, to not
leave a mark.

383
00:17:53,160 --> 00:17:56,640
But the, the, the, the truth is
that God calls the opposite of

384
00:17:56,640 --> 00:17:59,280
us.
We are so scared by what people

385
00:17:59,280 --> 00:18:00,960
think of us.
I mean, what if this person

386
00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:02,720
thinks I'm scared?
Not scared, I'm sorry.

387
00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:04,320
What if this person thinks I'm
weird?

388
00:18:05,120 --> 00:18:07,680
What if this person calls me
name names?

389
00:18:07,960 --> 00:18:11,200
What if I'm called intolerance?
What if the world around me says

390
00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,280
that my views aren't only
outdated, but they're actually

391
00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,680
immoral?
What if the people around me

392
00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:18,960
push for me to lose my job?
I was talking to somebody on my

393
00:18:18,960 --> 00:18:21,320
youth team who actually has been
running into issues at his

394
00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:25,480
workplace because he was telling
people he was giving people

395
00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:27,040
blessings at the end of an
e-mail.

396
00:18:27,640 --> 00:18:31,400
Like simple stuff like that
causes reactions and those are

397
00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,680
real temptations that cause us
to not stand out as much as we

398
00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:36,760
should.
So we're called to be the salt

399
00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,680
of the earth.
And in my opinion, it is a lot

400
00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:41,760
easier to be Joe than it is to
be salt.

401
00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:45,200
But God calls us to be salt.
And the way to be salt is by

402
00:18:45,200 --> 00:18:47,280
showing the light of the world
to those around you.

403
00:18:47,280 --> 00:18:49,360
So we're going to pick up again
in Matthew chapter 5.

404
00:18:49,360 --> 00:18:55,560
We're going to keep going in
verse 14, but you are the you're

405
00:18:55,560 --> 00:18:58,640
the light of the world.
That picture of light, that same

406
00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:00,840
light that blinds me coming from
the spots that makes me can't

407
00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:02,520
see.
I want you to picture that for

408
00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:04,680
the rest of the message.
Light is going to be

409
00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:07,360
instrumental to the rest of what
we're going to be talking about.

410
00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:11,320
You are the light of the world.
A town built on a hill cannot be

411
00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:15,040
hidden, neither do people light
a lamp and put it under a bowl,

412
00:19:15,040 --> 00:19:18,320
but instead they put it on a
stand and it gives light to

413
00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:20,840
everyone in the house in the
same way.

414
00:19:21,120 --> 00:19:24,800
In the same way being as what it
looks like to take your lamp and

415
00:19:24,800 --> 00:19:27,960
put it on a shelf rather than
throwing a blanket over in that

416
00:19:27,960 --> 00:19:31,680
same way, in that same manner,
let your light shine before

417
00:19:31,680 --> 00:19:33,240
others.
So that's the action right here.

418
00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:35,560
What is the action?
Let your life shine before

419
00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:37,120
others.
And what is the result?

420
00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,040
That they may see your good
deeds and glorify your Father in

421
00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:42,760
heaven.
This is the best news of the

422
00:19:42,760 --> 00:19:45,800
heaven, best news of the heaven.
This is the best news of the

423
00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:47,960
morning.
That everything that we're

424
00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:50,200
talking about, what does it look
like to stand out?

425
00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:52,680
What does it look like to carry,
to carry the light of Jesus?

426
00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:54,960
What does it look like to be an
ambassador of Christ?

427
00:19:55,200 --> 00:19:57,800
The best news of the morning is
that that one's doing the heavy

428
00:19:57,800 --> 00:20:00,960
lifting is not us, but is
actually Jesus within us.

429
00:20:01,800 --> 00:20:02,680
We're going to come back to
John.

430
00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:04,360
We're going to come back to
Matthew 5 in a minute.

431
00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:07,440
But I want to give some context
for what this light really is,

432
00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,840
because that's cool in theory.
But what is it in practice?

433
00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:14,120
What is the light of God in all
practicalities?

434
00:20:14,120 --> 00:20:17,440
So in John 11 it says that in
the beginning was the Word.

435
00:20:17,440 --> 00:20:20,200
And for those of you who don't
know the Word here, this capital

436
00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:24,640
word, this is Jesus.
And the Word was with God, and

437
00:20:24,640 --> 00:20:26,680
the Word was God.
He was with God in the

438
00:20:26,680 --> 00:20:28,120
beginning.
Through Him all things were

439
00:20:28,120 --> 00:20:29,560
made.
Without Him nothing that was

440
00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:34,120
made had been made.
In Him was life, and that life

441
00:20:34,280 --> 00:20:37,800
was the light of all mankind.
The light shines in the

442
00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:40,200
darkness, and the darkness has
not overcome it.

443
00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:44,080
You see what John here is saying
about light in relation to

444
00:20:44,080 --> 00:20:46,040
Jesus?
Because in Jesus is life,

445
00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:48,920
eternal life, and in that
eternal life is the light of

446
00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:50,360
Jesus.
So let's go back up to Matthew

447
00:20:50,360 --> 00:20:52,480
5.
Let's reread it.

448
00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:55,040
And instead of light, let's plug
in Jesus.

449
00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:59,760
As we reread this Matthew 514,
you carry Jesus before the

450
00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:02,480
world.
A town built on a hill cannot be

451
00:21:02,480 --> 00:21:04,440
hidden.
Neither do people light a lamp

452
00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:07,240
or put it under a bowl.
Instead, they put it on a stand,

453
00:21:07,240 --> 00:21:09,440
and it gives Jesus to everyone
in the house.

454
00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:13,560
In the same way, let Jesus shine
before others so that they may

455
00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:17,080
see your good deeds and glorify
your Father in heaven.

456
00:21:18,000 --> 00:21:20,560
When you're putting your light
in front of the world, when

457
00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:23,240
you're putting your light in
front of the stand, you are not

458
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:24,840
putting yourself up in front of
the world.

459
00:21:25,440 --> 00:21:27,520
You are letting Jesus shine in
front of the world.

460
00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:31,240
Man, when I got serious about my
faith in my works started to

461
00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:33,440
match up with where my faith
should have had them at.

462
00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:35,600
It was not Logan being
glorified.

463
00:21:36,040 --> 00:21:38,120
When you do the things that you
should be doing, when you're

464
00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:41,880
acting actually like the salt of
the earth, it is not Mike that

465
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:45,080
is being glorified, but it is
Jesus working within Mike that

466
00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:47,360
gets all the glory.
And what is the purpose?

467
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,160
Why do we show our light before
others?

468
00:21:49,160 --> 00:21:51,600
What did the verse just say?
What's the purpose of it?

469
00:21:53,960 --> 00:21:57,360
Not just to glorify God, because
that is a part of it, but so

470
00:21:57,360 --> 00:22:00,600
that others may glorify God.
How many you guys know that a

471
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:03,520
part of the plan of salvation is
you?

472
00:22:04,440 --> 00:22:08,120
A part of God's plan to have His
love and have His world reach

473
00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:12,360
the World is your guys's
willingness to share the hope

474
00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:15,840
that you have been given.
The world around you needs to

475
00:22:15,840 --> 00:22:18,720
see Jesus in you.
I don't frame that for a minute.

476
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:22,600
The person around you that's an
atheist, that is an agnostic,

477
00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,120
that's XY or Z, whatever they
might be, that doesn't worship

478
00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:30,120
and glorify God, they can't
afford for you to blend in and

479
00:22:30,120 --> 00:22:33,280
be Joe.
They cannot afford for you to

480
00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:36,280
put a blanket or a bowl over the
light that you have been given.

481
00:22:37,080 --> 00:22:39,040
The world desperately needs to
see Jesus in you.

482
00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:41,880
Verse 16 says in the same way,
let your light shine before

483
00:22:41,880 --> 00:22:46,160
others so that they may see your
good deeds and glorify your

484
00:22:46,160 --> 00:22:49,680
Father in heaven.
Your willingness to share your

485
00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:54,800
hope is a part of God's plan of
salvation, and God help us if we

486
00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:57,920
can keep that to ourselves.
Man, I don't know, how about you

487
00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:01,000
raise your hand real high?
If the radical transformation of

488
00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,200
the Holy Spirit has made a
tangible difference in your

489
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,160
life, raise your hand real high.
Now here's what I want you to

490
00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:09,600
do.
Picture where you were without

491
00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,200
the Holy Spirit and apply that
to everybody around you that

492
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:16,520
doesn't know God.
See how much more difficult that

493
00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:18,720
makes it to put a blanket over
your life.

494
00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,160
See how much more difficult that
makes it to blend into your job

495
00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,080
site.
See how much more difficult it

496
00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:27,760
makes it to not pray with the
mother crying on the bench.

497
00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:30,920
See how much more difficult it
makes it to not show the hope

498
00:23:30,920 --> 00:23:32,680
that you've been given before
everybody.

499
00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:36,640
If you leave with nothing else
today, leave with the

500
00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:40,720
encouragement to share your hope
because you don't know how far

501
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:42,720
God is going to use it and you
don't know what it's going to

502
00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:48,160
lead to.
We're going to be ending the,

503
00:23:48,160 --> 00:23:49,360
we're going to be ending the
message.

504
00:23:49,360 --> 00:23:51,200
We're going to be ending it in
Second Corinthians.

505
00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,360
We're going to be looking at 2nd
Corinthians because there's a

506
00:23:53,360 --> 00:23:56,160
really cool picture that is
painted by Paul here.

507
00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:01,680
We're talking this whole morning
so far about the reality that is

508
00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:05,200
not Jesus shining in US, right?
No, sorry, it's not us shining

509
00:24:05,200 --> 00:24:07,200
before others, but it's Jesus
shining in US.

510
00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:11,000
And Paul lays out this beautiful
picture of this idea that we are

511
00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,200
nothing more than jars of clay
in Second Corinthians chapter 4,

512
00:24:14,200 --> 00:24:19,680
verse 7, we'll read, but we have
this treasure.

513
00:24:20,200 --> 00:24:23,360
What is this treasure?
This treasure is the Holy

514
00:24:23,360 --> 00:24:25,800
Spirit.
This treasure is the work in our

515
00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:28,280
lives that has been performed by
the Holy Spirit.

516
00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:32,320
This treasure is the light in
the promise of salvation that

517
00:24:32,320 --> 00:24:35,040
has been given to us.
This treasure, being all the

518
00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:37,240
good stuff that God gives us
through the promise of the Holy

519
00:24:37,240 --> 00:24:40,200
Spirit, is what we have in jars
of clay.

520
00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:44,600
And it's to show that this all
surpassing power is from who?

521
00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,720
It's from God, and it is not
from us.

522
00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:51,680
I had Buffalo Rollers this
morning for breakfast, and it's

523
00:24:51,680 --> 00:24:57,120
coming back up.
Man, this is such a beautiful

524
00:24:57,120 --> 00:25:01,320
picture.
Into take another drink.

525
00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:06,160
I should have what I should
have, Joe.

526
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,760
Yeah.
Soft price, man.

527
00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,080
Look at verse 8.
This is a powerful reminder and

528
00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,120
a sobering reminder of what the
world does to us.

529
00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:19,360
We are hard pressed on every
side, but we're not crushed.

530
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:23,200
We are perplexed, but we're not
in despair.

531
00:25:23,520 --> 00:25:26,720
We are accuser.
We're persecuted, but we're not

532
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,520
abandoned.
We are struck down, but we are

533
00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,320
not destroyed.
We always carry around in our

534
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:34,760
body the death of Jesus.
So what?

535
00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,440
So the life of Jesus may also be
revealed in our body.

536
00:25:38,680 --> 00:25:41,040
Are you guys picking up a theme
so far this morning?

537
00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:45,480
Are you picking up a major
purpose of what Jesus does in

538
00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:48,200
your life and how it can be used
in the lives of others?

539
00:25:48,880 --> 00:25:50,520
Let's go back up.
And so if we have, I'm not done

540
00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:52,640
reading there, but I really want
to touch base here.

541
00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:56,160
If we have this treasure in jars
of clay, what does this treasure

542
00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:57,440
give us?
And just for the sake of the

543
00:25:57,440 --> 00:25:59,640
morning, let's say the promise
of heaven, because we're talking

544
00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:01,400
about heaven.
If we have the promise of

545
00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:04,440
heaven, and if we are citizens
of heaven, what can we overcome?

546
00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:07,400
Well, we can overcome the hard
pressing of the world.

547
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,120
I don't know about you guys, but
life gets very, very, very

548
00:26:10,120 --> 00:26:13,040
difficult sometimes.
I find a million reasons to hang

549
00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:16,120
my head every single day, but
I'm never crushed because I have

550
00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:19,160
a Father in heaven who says I am
enough and I have a Father in

551
00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:23,240
heaven who gives me the power to
get through anything that is

552
00:26:23,240 --> 00:26:26,960
maybe, maybe faces me.
Psalm 23 says that he anoints my

553
00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,000
head with oil, that whenever the
issues and the troubles of life

554
00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:33,640
come, I have a Father that is
here by my side so that I am not

555
00:26:33,640 --> 00:26:36,960
crushed by the power of life.
Man, how many guys know that

556
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,440
life is perplexing?
How many guys know that life is

557
00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:43,280
confusing sometimes?
There's been so many things I've

558
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:46,320
been, I've been getting a lot
better about learning the

559
00:26:46,320 --> 00:26:49,080
stories of the people that I
serve with in youth.

560
00:26:49,680 --> 00:26:52,160
There's been some particular
stories that have stood out

561
00:26:52,160 --> 00:26:55,680
lately where you just can only
ask God from a very human

562
00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,200
perspective, like God, what are
you doing right now?

563
00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:00,760
Why are you letting this happen?
Why is this happening to this

564
00:27:00,760 --> 00:27:03,080
person who's doing all these
good things and is carrying

565
00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:04,960
themselves in a godly way?
Who is not Joe?

566
00:27:05,120 --> 00:27:07,960
This person who is salt but is
being crushed by something that

567
00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:12,000
just isn't fair.
Man, the life in the fallen

568
00:27:12,000 --> 00:27:14,200
nature of this world, as we've
been talking about in this

569
00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:18,360
series, it perplexes us, but we
are never in despair because

570
00:27:18,360 --> 00:27:21,320
these, in these people who are
the salt of the earth, they have

571
00:27:21,320 --> 00:27:24,600
a promise of heaven.
We have not lost our hope.

572
00:27:25,280 --> 00:27:26,760
I mean, how do you guys know
that we're persecuted?

573
00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:32,200
Well, to varying degrees.
But when you actually stand out

574
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,560
as salt to some degree or
another, there is going to be

575
00:27:35,560 --> 00:27:37,560
pushback.
There is going to be somebody

576
00:27:37,560 --> 00:27:40,160
that has a problem with you
actually carrying the light of

577
00:27:40,160 --> 00:27:42,240
Jesus.
Because as Paul says, with

578
00:27:42,240 --> 00:27:45,960
tears, which by the way should
be our orientation this morning,

579
00:27:46,120 --> 00:27:48,840
we should have tears in our eyes
when we think about the fact

580
00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:51,120
that there is not everybody that
carries the same light that we

581
00:27:51,120 --> 00:27:54,360
have but cross.
But Paul says with tears that

582
00:27:54,360 --> 00:27:57,560
there are enemies of the cross,
there are enemies of the life

583
00:27:57,560 --> 00:28:00,120
that you carry within you and
you will lead that will lead to

584
00:28:00,120 --> 00:28:04,120
persecution, but you won't be
abandoned.

585
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:08,040
Psalm 23 again.
He walks with you in the darkest

586
00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:09,640
of valleys and in the lowest of
valleys.

587
00:28:10,640 --> 00:28:13,480
Man, we're struck down.
Life gets hard and it knocks us

588
00:28:13,480 --> 00:28:16,480
to our feet, but we are able to
get back up because we're not

589
00:28:16,480 --> 00:28:18,120
destroyed because of the promise
of Jesus.

590
00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:21,880
And all this is done because we
carry in our body the death of

591
00:28:21,880 --> 00:28:24,960
Jesus, the power of his
resurrection, the power of his

592
00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:28,600
sacrifice on our behalf, so that
it may also be revealed in our

593
00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:31,000
body.
Verse 11 For we who are alive

594
00:28:31,000 --> 00:28:34,120
are always being given over to
the death, over to death.

595
00:28:34,120 --> 00:28:36,800
For whose sake?
For Jesus sake?

596
00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:39,400
Is it for our sake?
Is it for our glory?

597
00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:42,320
Is it for our glory that we
overcome the hardships of the

598
00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:44,080
world?
Is it for our glory that we're

599
00:28:44,080 --> 00:28:45,520
able to show our lights to
others?

600
00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:48,640
No, like everything else we've
been talking about, it is for

601
00:28:48,640 --> 00:28:52,320
Jesus's sake, to his glory, so
that his life may also be

602
00:28:52,320 --> 00:28:55,240
revealed in our mortal body.
And that's such a good way to

603
00:28:55,240 --> 00:28:57,760
describe what we are.
Mortal body.

604
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,000
What do you guys think of?
We think of mortality, decay.

605
00:29:03,840 --> 00:29:07,280
Punctuality is not the right
word like shortened vapor.

606
00:29:07,760 --> 00:29:11,280
Our mortal bodies are very are
very much just that they are a

607
00:29:11,280 --> 00:29:16,480
vapor verse 12 so then death is
at work in us but what life is

608
00:29:16,480 --> 00:29:19,040
at work in you.
It's about the best news I can

609
00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:21,920
give you this morning.
This really could probably be

610
00:29:21,920 --> 00:29:23,920
just a message on how to keep
persevering through pain.

611
00:29:25,120 --> 00:29:28,040
The world is going to press down
on you when you they see that

612
00:29:28,040 --> 00:29:29,760
you really are a citizen of
heaven.

613
00:29:29,920 --> 00:29:33,200
If you really are the salt of
the earth, the earth though, the

614
00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:34,640
world is going to fight back in
that.

615
00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:38,400
And even though all these things
are at work in you, Jesus is

616
00:29:38,400 --> 00:29:39,880
also at work in you.
And how many of you guys know

617
00:29:39,880 --> 00:29:42,200
that Jesus is going to overcome
any power that's going to come

618
00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:45,040
against you, any pain that's
going to come against you, any

619
00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:46,440
hardship that's going to come
against you?

620
00:29:47,120 --> 00:29:50,440
Man, at the start of this verse,
Paul writes to us as if we're

621
00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:52,040
clay jars.
How many of you guys remember

622
00:29:52,040 --> 00:29:55,120
back in elementary art, you guys
made like you had like the kiln

623
00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:57,280
in your art class, you made like
the clay pots.

624
00:29:57,280 --> 00:29:59,080
You guys remember that?
Or is that just like

625
00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:02,600
specifically me?
No, OK, I want you to picture

626
00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:06,160
these clay jars.
And mine was really pathetic

627
00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:08,400
because I was bad at it.
So it was like like a hand sized

628
00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:09,920
open bowl.
But I want to imagine you're

629
00:30:09,920 --> 00:30:12,440
good at it and it's actually
like a full size jar.

630
00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:15,840
I want you to imagine dropping
that jar, picking it back up,

631
00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:18,880
piercing it together, gluing it
together, taping it together.

632
00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:22,440
That's what we are, man.
As as as Paul writes, we're clay

633
00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:23,600
jars.
And in that same way, we're

634
00:30:23,600 --> 00:30:25,600
pressed on every side.
We're perplexed, we're

635
00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:29,680
persecuted, we're struck down,
but in the cracks that form

636
00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:32,880
underneath the weight of the
world, Jesus shines all the

637
00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:35,120
brighter.
And that shining through the

638
00:30:35,120 --> 00:30:38,560
cracks that you have is for the
sake of others coming to know

639
00:30:38,560 --> 00:30:41,160
Him.
His power is made perfect in our

640
00:30:41,160 --> 00:30:44,960
weakness.
But find the joy to be a jar of

641
00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:47,560
clay for Jesus.
Find the joy of understanding

642
00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:49,440
that you're nothing more than
just a vessel to carry His

643
00:30:49,440 --> 00:30:51,880
light.
Life gets so much easier and

644
00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,840
it's so much more enjoyable when
you understand that it's Jesus

645
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:56,840
working within you.
And it's not on my shoulders.

646
00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:00,200
I don't carry the burden of
bringing others to Christ.

647
00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:02,960
I carry the burden of being
faithful to show how Jesus has

648
00:31:02,960 --> 00:31:05,800
changed mine.
And in changing my life, Jesus

649
00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:08,480
is going to use that power to
change the lives of others.

650
00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,000
But find the humility be a clay
jar.

651
00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:13,520
Because like I said, it is the
power of Jesus.

652
00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:15,720
But Jesus has to be on the
footstool, not you.

653
00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:18,760
You are simply the side
character in the main story that

654
00:31:18,760 --> 00:31:21,320
is Jesus.
Find the humility to be that

655
00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,800
clay jar.
May be the person who does not

656
00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:28,200
say what his Co worker says, Be
the person who like I should be,

657
00:31:29,040 --> 00:31:32,240
stands out on the job site, does
not say the same thing as my

658
00:31:32,240 --> 00:31:34,160
coworkers.
But be the person who builds

659
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:36,640
people up on Facebook rather
than tearing people down.

660
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:40,920
Be the person who who who
comforts the crying stranger who

661
00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:44,640
takes an extra 5 minutes to have
a human relation with somebody

662
00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:45,840
else.
Gross.

663
00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:49,040
Be the person who actually wants
to connect with people.

664
00:31:49,240 --> 00:31:52,080
That is so countercultural.
We love staring on our screens

665
00:31:52,080 --> 00:31:54,560
and we love staring on our feet,
but be the kind of person who is

666
00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,720
intentional with connecting to
those around you.

667
00:31:57,160 --> 00:31:58,960
Be the kind of person who's not
afraid to pray.

668
00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:02,280
Be the kind of person who is not
afraid to talk to their father

669
00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:05,320
in front of a watching world
because that watching world

670
00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:07,120
needs the Father that you have.
Amen.

671
00:32:08,120 --> 00:32:09,720
Amen.
How different.

672
00:32:09,720 --> 00:32:10,680
This is what we're going to end
with.

673
00:32:10,680 --> 00:32:14,080
How different would the world be
if you were ambassadors of

674
00:32:14,080 --> 00:32:17,240
Christ?
Like we're talking about my

675
00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:20,000
terrible cooking, my pathetic
cooking, my awful cooking.

676
00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:24,040
I'm so pathetic in that same way
that my cooking is so unbearable

677
00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:27,040
until I add salt.
How much more bearable do you

678
00:32:27,040 --> 00:32:30,400
make the life around you?
How much more bearable do you

679
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:32,360
make the hardships of the world,
of the world?

680
00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:34,760
And how much different would it
be if we showed our life to

681
00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:36,920
others?
I wonder if we all made a

682
00:32:36,920 --> 00:32:39,840
commitment this week and moving
forward to constantly be

683
00:32:39,840 --> 00:32:41,400
vigilant about showing our lives
of others.

684
00:32:41,640 --> 00:32:43,400
I wonder how many more
salvations we'd see.

685
00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:45,800
I wonder how much healthier our
churches would be.

686
00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:48,440
I wonder how many more churches
would sprout up.

687
00:32:48,760 --> 00:32:50,560
I wonder how different our
workplaces would look.

688
00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:52,680
I wonder how different our
grocery stores would look.

689
00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:56,640
I wonder how every single aspect
of our lives would be touched if

690
00:32:56,640 --> 00:32:58,720
we were just willing to show
Jesus a little bit more.

691
00:32:59,760 --> 00:33:03,880
My prayer for you is that you
would be the salt of the earth.

692
00:33:04,880 --> 00:33:07,400
My prayer for you is that you
would find the joy and the

693
00:33:07,400 --> 00:33:10,280
humility to consider yourself
nothing more than a vessel

694
00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:13,680
carrying the light of Jesus,
showing that the world has

695
00:33:13,680 --> 00:33:16,280
broken you down and beaten you
over, but you've been put

696
00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:19,400
together and all the cracks in
the jar that you are has been

697
00:33:19,400 --> 00:33:21,400
filled with the holy light of
Jesus.

698
00:33:21,680 --> 00:33:24,640
My prayer for you is that you
would find that joy.

699
00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:27,200
So if you guys all would bow
your heads and close your eyes,

700
00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:30,080
there's a couple groups of
people in here with every head,

701
00:33:30,120 --> 00:33:32,080
every head bowed and every eye
closed.

702
00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:36,120
There's, there's the first group
of people in here that I, I'm

703
00:33:36,120 --> 00:33:38,160
really confident there's
somebody here like this that is

704
00:33:38,160 --> 00:33:40,360
feeling the conviction of the
Holy Spirit.

705
00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:43,400
And maybe you're in here and you
find yourself in a similar

706
00:33:43,400 --> 00:33:47,440
position to me, man, I don't
stand out in my life.

707
00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:49,880
I blend into all the things
around me.

708
00:33:50,120 --> 00:33:54,000
I am a citizen of heaven and yet
I look like a citizen of earth.

709
00:33:54,480 --> 00:33:56,920
I mean, if that's you and you
find yourself, I, you find

710
00:33:56,920 --> 00:34:00,600
yourself having an identity
marked by, by the world around

711
00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:02,200
you rather than the problems
that you've been given.

712
00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:04,760
Would you raise your hand?
If that's, if that's you right

713
00:34:04,760 --> 00:34:06,720
now and you're in here and you
recognize that you could be

714
00:34:06,720 --> 00:34:08,840
doing a better job of standing
out like me.

715
00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:11,280
Would you raise your hand if
you're in here and you feel like

716
00:34:11,280 --> 00:34:13,239
you might have been putting a
blanket over the life that

717
00:34:13,239 --> 00:34:15,199
you've been given and you're
feeling a little bit of a

718
00:34:15,199 --> 00:34:17,880
conviction because you have not
been showing the hope that you

719
00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:19,760
have been given to the degree
you should, But you raise your

720
00:34:19,760 --> 00:34:22,360
hand.
I mean, that's you and you're

721
00:34:22,360 --> 00:34:23,400
here.
I do see your hands.

722
00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,280
I appreciate your honesty.
Let's pray together real quick.

723
00:34:26,679 --> 00:34:29,120
Thank God you're so good.
You're not just good, you are

724
00:34:29,120 --> 00:34:31,840
so, so good.
Thank you so much for the light

725
00:34:31,840 --> 00:34:34,480
that you have given us.
Thank you for changing our lives

726
00:34:34,639 --> 00:34:37,080
from the inside out.
Thank you for everything that

727
00:34:37,080 --> 00:34:40,159
you have done in our lives.
And give us the wisdom, and more

728
00:34:40,159 --> 00:34:42,280
than anything, give us the
courage and the boldness to show

729
00:34:42,280 --> 00:34:45,920
that light and the world around
us, Father, we know cannot

730
00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:48,520
afford to live any longer with
you without you.

731
00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:52,520
Give us wisdom and give us
courage and give us submission

732
00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,600
to live as you have called.
With every head still bowed and

733
00:34:55,600 --> 00:34:59,120
every eye still closed.
I get the feeling that there's

734
00:34:59,120 --> 00:35:02,960
another person in here.
I get the feeling that there's a

735
00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:06,120
person in here that can't say
that they're the salt of the

736
00:35:06,120 --> 00:35:08,720
earth because they can't say
that they have been given the

737
00:35:08,720 --> 00:35:12,160
light of the world.
If you're in here and you've

738
00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:14,800
been thinking about giving your
life to Jesus, if you've been

739
00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:18,040
like wrestling and grappling
with this idea of Christianity,

740
00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:20,320
just understand that every head
is bowed right now.

741
00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:22,680
Every eye is still closed.
And I would invite you just to

742
00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:25,920
focus on these words.
If you've been struggling with

743
00:35:25,920 --> 00:35:29,560
blending in and you're ready for
a light to plug up the cracks of

744
00:35:29,560 --> 00:35:32,640
the jar, understand that in
order to get to heaven, which

745
00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:35,480
what we've been talking about in
this whole message series, you

746
00:35:35,480 --> 00:35:37,880
have to be perfect.
You have to be holy.

747
00:35:38,120 --> 00:35:40,160
And if you're anything like me,
you are not perfect.

748
00:35:40,480 --> 00:35:43,520
You are not holy.
You sin and you sin and you sin.

749
00:35:43,720 --> 00:35:48,360
But Jesus and God, being as
gracious as God is, sent Jesus

750
00:35:48,600 --> 00:35:51,760
to die on the cross after living
a life that we were supposed to

751
00:35:51,760 --> 00:35:55,960
live to pay a debt that I never
could pay, that you never could

752
00:35:55,960 --> 00:35:57,760
pay.
And the only thing that is

753
00:35:57,760 --> 00:36:00,840
waiting, if that's you and you
are in here and you're almost

754
00:36:00,840 --> 00:36:03,480
ready to make a decision to
follow Jesus, the only thing

755
00:36:03,480 --> 00:36:06,840
that is waiting is a response to
surrender, to believe that Jesus

756
00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:10,160
died on the cross for your sins
and have faith in Jesus and to

757
00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,200
live as Jesus calls.
So if that's you, if you're in

758
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:14,960
here, if you've been thinking
about starting a relationship

759
00:36:14,960 --> 00:36:16,800
with Jesus, you're ready to take
that first step today.

760
00:36:16,800 --> 00:36:20,240
Would you raise your hand?
If you're in here and you're

761
00:36:20,240 --> 00:36:23,040
ready to find the light and find
the hope that I've been talking

762
00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:23,960
about, would you raise your
hand?

763
00:36:25,120 --> 00:36:28,120
I mean, God, you know the
hearts, you know the

764
00:36:28,120 --> 00:36:31,000
orientations of all of us.
I mean, if that's you, we'll go

765
00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:32,120
ahead and pray this prayer after
me.

766
00:36:32,120 --> 00:36:33,360
And it's not the prayer that
saves you.

767
00:36:33,360 --> 00:36:35,320
It's not the words that do
anything, but it is your

768
00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:39,400
orientation towards God.
May God, I am a Sinner in need

769
00:36:39,400 --> 00:36:42,520
of a savior.
I mess things up all the time.

770
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:45,280
I so constantly.
But I believe that you sent your

771
00:36:45,280 --> 00:36:49,920
son Jesus to die on the cross
after living a perfect life, to

772
00:36:50,240 --> 00:36:51,920
pay a debt that I never could
pay.

773
00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:54,680
I put my life in you.
I surrender my life to you,

774
00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:57,600
Jesus name, Amen.
I give it up for everybody that

775
00:36:57,600 --> 00:37:01,240
made that decision today.
Thank you all so much for the

776
00:37:01,240 --> 00:37:02,840
opportunity to come up here and
talk to you today.

777
00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:06,000
I hope you were challenged.
And my final exhortation, my

778
00:37:06,080 --> 00:37:10,120
final encouragement is to be the
salt of the earth, to let your

779
00:37:10,120 --> 00:37:13,160
light shine and to look for all
the change that is going to

780
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:14,000
make.
Thank you guys.