Light of the World
Matthew 5:13-16 – Victory Fellowship
October 1, 2023 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
INTRODUCTION:
A.W. Tozer, author of The Pursuit of God and The Knowledge of the Holy - “One hundred religious persons knit into a unity by careful organization do not constitute a church any more than eleven dead men make a football team.”
The difference between being a CHURCH and virtually any other organization is that we are led by the Holy Spirit and compelled by Jesus Christ to be salt and light in a way that God in heaven is glorified.
It’s not enough to just be a good benevolent society.
It’s not enough to just be active in the community.
It’s not enough to just be kind to everyone.
Our motivation should not be for people to see our good works and experience our benevolence and say “oh how good I am or Victory Fellowship is!”
Our motivation should be to do these things in a way that people say “Through my efforts and Victory Fellowship we see just how good God is!”
Our example in the community and all of our benevolence and good works should encourage and lead people to begin and/or strengthen their relationship with Jesus Christ.
We must be salt and light.
SALT:
Flavor enhancer (my soup from ham bone)
-salt in oats, lead to water; be appealing, even compelling
Preservative (saves what might otherwise rot or die)
Currency (“worth his salt”)
-be worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord
LIGHT:
Not shy about honoring God
Not being silent when we should speak up
Not going along with the world / Jesus IS the WAY
ARE intentional about giving reason for the hope in us
ARE intentional about being a good witness
The best way we can be salt and light is to TRUST God and not our own wisdom. To do and be as a Church what God’s word instructs us to do and be – not what we are comfortable and feel safe doing and being.
Sometimes things can diminish our saltiness and cause us to want to hide the light of Christ within us.
Our God is bigger than this. Our God has good plans for us. Our God is forgiving and life giving.
Our God uses the broken pieces and weaknesses in our lives and does truly wonderful things with them – if we yield to Him. If we trust and be not afraid.
PRAYER
SONG: City on a Hill
Matthew 5:13-16 (NLT)
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.