Walking Billboard for God

Amen, folks. Well, with that passage open in front of you, here's a job that is available up and down the UK. It does wonders for your step count. And depending on where you are in the UK, it could earn you between 12 and 18 pounds an hour. You ready for this? Who fancies a new challenge in life being a walking billboard?

I mean, who wouldn't want to walk around the streets of Yorkshire advertising Cherry Bakewell Brew? Just thought I'd put that there to intrigue you. But you'll know the kind of thing, I'm sure, if you think about it. Walking adverts, walking billboards. If you're a Christian here today, that's exactly what we're going to see Jesus say that we are. Walking adverts for the kingdom of God.

Now, if you've got Matthew chapter 5 there, we're in this series in Matthew's Gospel. We're at the portion called the Sermon on the Mount. We began it last week with Wayne. And I hope you had your dose of American enthusiasm. You're getting some Scottish accent today. But Wayne kicked us off in this portion of Matthew's Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Really, it's a speech that is widely accepted to have fundamentally shaped Western morality for generations.

And don't just take my word for it. Here is former US Congressman Daniel Webster.

He said this, he said,

The Sermon on the Mount cannot be a merely human production.

This belief enters into the very depth of my conscience.

The whole history of man proves it.

From what I can tell, the guy wasn't a believer.

But it's really interesting what he made of this sermon.

And I think whoever you are here today, whatever you've brought in here,

whatever you think about the God of the Bible,

can I suggest that what he's saying there

gives you a reason to listen to this.

Because really, this has impacted our society, what Jesus is saying here.

And it touches on so many of the live issues in our culture right now.

And so that's why this is worth a listen.

Let Jesus intrigue you with what he says here.

But what we need to appreciate as we step into this,

is that this isn't Jesus giving the world some ethical top tips.

Like some kind of first century Stacey Dooley on an episode of Sort Your Life Out.

This is not what this is.

Have a look at verse 1. Come with me and see it.

Others may be in earshot.

But Jesus has his disciples in his sights.

Do you see that?

Verse 1, chapter 5.

And in this sermon, he's teaching them

what life inside the kingdom of God looks like.

So this is what happens in a human heart

when the king moves in.

You want to think about it like that.

This is what happens in a human heart when the king moves in.

And who are Jesus' disciples at this point in time in Matthew's gospel?

They are a small, ragtag, unimpressive-looking bunch of newbies.

And if we're to get the power of this today,

we need to enter their world.

A religious world that's dominated by the Pharisees and the teachers of the law.

Who both look the part and sound the part when it comes to godliness.

This is their world, okay?

Because what the Pharisees and the teachers of the law have done

is that they've taken the Ten Commandments

that God gave to Moses to give to the people

and the surrounding legislation that God had given his people in the Old Testament.

And what they've done is produced their own commentary on it.

And they've created this whole spider web worth of rules and regulations

that you need to keep to show that you're in the club.

I love how Sinclair Ferguson sums this up.

A little bit Scottish humour, but I think this makes the point.

With some 248 regulations and 365 prohibitions to deal with,

salvation was certainly for the professionals.

Do you like that?

So if you're a country bumpkin disciple at this point in time,

and this is what you're looking at religiously, so to speak,

what do you think you are thinking?

You're probably feeling intimidated, aren't you?

Add to that the fact that you've just heard Jesus.

Do you just see in the immediate verses from verse 11?

You've just heard Jesus tell you to expect persecution as you follow him.

And with that backdrop of intimidation and questions,

have a look at the phrase that Jesus uses in this chapter at verse 13 and verse 15.

You've got to see this.

This isn't a beat-up sermon from Jesus.

Like some kind of boardroom encounter with Alan Sugar.

What were you thinking?

Who's responsible for the failure of this task?

Why are you not better?

Why did you do it like that?

What a mess that you've made of things.

This isn't a beat-up sermon from Jesus.

This is a chin-up sermon from Jesus.

He doesn't say, you've got to see this,

He doesn't say,

go and be the salt of the earth.

Or, one day, one day, you'll be the light of the world.

What does He say?

See it there.

He says,

you are.

You see it?

So this is something that's already true of the disciples

because of their faith in Him.

The logic of everything that follows is,

be what I've made you to be.

Be who you are.

That's a game changer for how you hear this sermon.

And so with that backdrop,

can I just say that there's two things that Jesus says to them

in these verses that we need to hear.

And then I want to give us one challenge and one encouragement.

That sound okay?

Two things Jesus says,

one challenge, one encouragement.

Here's the first thing,

and this is verses 13 to 15.

Remember, Jesus speaking to the disciples,

speaking to them.

He's saying,

firstly, you are a blessed people,

don't doubt it.

And that's the heart behind the two images

that Jesus uses here.

Do you see them?

Salt and light.

Light.

Now you might hear those words

and immediately your mind is off

in a million different directions.

You're kind of a greyhound

that's been released from the tracks

and you're hunting that rabbit.

Your mind is going in all sorts of places

and you're playing this mental game of articulate,

thinking salt, preserving, purifying,

flavoursome, light, illuminating, attractive, healing.

And those things may well be there,

but the question to ask with this stuff is always,

what would the original readers have understood?

Try the first one at verse 13, okay?

Salt.

They hear that word,

and I'll put it to you likely,

that they would have clicked

that salt throughout the Old Testament

was a symbol of the covenant relationship

that existed between God and his people.

Yeah?

And if that's the case,

what is Jesus saying here?

He's saying,

even if the world hates you,

even if the Pharisees

and the teachers of the law persecute you,

I want you to know

that you are my called out people.

Right?

I've got my heart on you.

I've saved you out of the world.

You are mine.

Now, what an encouragement

that must have been for the disciples

if you're looking at this world

and you're feeling intimidated.

You are the salt of the earth.

And what is it about salt?

Do you see that he draws attention to?

He draws attention to its taste,

which I think

is a direct shot

at the Pharisees,

the religious pretenders of the day.

Jesus is saying of them,

I know that they look like salt.

I know that they sound like salt.

But would you believe me

that their inner lives

tell a different story?

And carry that logic

on to the second image

at verse 13.

What is it?

It's light.

You see it?

Now, it's a kind of double whammy here.

It's light,

but he combines it

with another image.

I love how Jesus uses images

and metaphors.

It's great, isn't it?

To help us picture it.

What's the second one?

It's a city on a hill.

Now, again,

what would they have first thought of?

Combining light

and a city on a hill.

More likely they would have thought

of the city of Jerusalem.

And what was God's heart

for the city?

That the godliness

of the people

who live in the city,

because they're infatuated

with Yahweh,

with the Lord,

would act like a blazing beacon

to the world,

compelling the world

to come in and see

how good the Lord is.

And we're going to show you

by the devotion of our lives

how great and good

this God is.

How marvelous is the God

who dwells in the city

and the God who has called

us his people.

Come in and see.

Isaiah 60, verse 3.

Isaiah 60:3

Nations will come to your light

and kings

to the brightness

of your dawn.

And so Jesus is saying

to his disciples,

as you live

kingdom lives,

as you embrace

salt and light living,

you are everything

that Jerusalem

was supposed to be

but wasn't.

the church,

through its good deeds,

through its love

for the Lord

that just expresses

itself publicly,

is a light to the world.

And the question then

that follows, I guess,

is what are the good deeds

that Jesus has in mind?

Is he just throwing

the net really wide

and saying any good thing

that you do is a worship

to the Lord?

I think he's a lot more

specific than that

because of what follows.

What are the good deeds

that Jesus has in mind?

Here's the second thing

that Jesus says

and this is verses 17 to 20.

You see a phony righteousness,

don't buy it.

And without a shadow of a doubt,

we're back with our boys,

the Pharisees again,

who think that when it comes

to the law,

Jesus isn't taking it

seriously enough.

In fact, all he's doing

is lowering the bar

to which Jesus says,

I've not come to abolish the law,

but rather,

and see the word that he uses,

not explain,

not keep,

but fulfill it.

Now that word means

that we need to do

a lot more work

to try and understand

what he's saying,

right?

It's a lot more holistic.

Fulfill.

In what ways

has Jesus come

to fulfill the law?

You ready for this?

Can I give you

three quick ways?

Now we are skimming

the slither of the top

of the iceberg here,

but go with me

and we can run with this

in growth groups

during the week.

But it's really important

for understanding

the Old Testament.

We can't understand

the New without the Old.

We can't understand

the Old without the New.

Do you know why that is?

Because this is one story.

Three quick things

fulfill means.

Number one,

it means that Jesus

is the one

who it all points to.

Every person,

prophet,

priest,

king,

every system,

the sacrificial system

for sin,

every problem.

How can sinners stand

to be right

with a holy God?

How can God

be both loving

and just?

Every promise

of a future,

new heavens

and a new earth

where righteousness

reigns.

You've heard that phrase,

all roads lead to Rome.

Well,

can I just

kind of spin on it

a bit and say

that all the Old Testament

roads lead to

the personal work

of Jesus?

And see,

when you understand that,

you begin to read it

differently.

Right?

Love a murder mystery novel.

More watch them these days

than read them,

but the thing is

with a murder mystery,

you can only watch it twice,

right?

You watch it all the way

through first time,

not knowing how it's

going to end,

how are all these

tensions and puzzles

and threads

going to find their conclusion?

And once you find

the conclusion,

you go back

and you watch it again,

but the thing is,

because you know

where it's all going,

you begin to see,

oh,

that's what that was about.

And that's what that was about.

And that's how we understand

the Old Testament.

Jesus

fulfills it.

Right?

Number two,

Jesus is the one

who perfectly

keeps it.

So his life

was one of

perfect obedience

to the law.

And it wasn't

begrudging obedience.

It was a delight

for Jesus

to obey

the law

of his father.

The heart

of the gospel

is that Jesus

lived the life

we couldn't live.

And we need

in order to ascend

the hill

of the Lord.

But by coming

to him

at the moment

we believe in him,

we are united

to him

and Jesus

shares

his perfect

life with us.

he takes

our sin

and we are

caught up

in his

perfect righteousness

and obedience.

He's come

to fulfill it.

He's come

to live it out.

But number three,

and this is maybe

one you haven't

thought about before,

is that he

shows us

what

obedience

looks like.

So if you're

asking yourself,

what does it mean

for me to

obey?

If you're

asking yourself,

what is God

the Spirit

inside of me

like a master

sculptor?

What is he

chiseling away

from my

character?

And what is he

forming me

into?

Whose likeness

is he shaping

me into?

The answer

is

Jesus.

Friends,

the Pharisees

think that Jesus

is relaxing

the law

because he

won't do it

their way.

But have a

look at

verse 21.

You need to

jog on a

wee bit here,

right?

21,

27,

and 31.

And just

take in

the repeated

refrain at the

beginning of

each section.

All right,

give you a second.

21,

27,

31.

What's the

repeated

refrain?

you have

heard it

said.

Not you

have read

it written.

Do you see

that?

Really important.

So Jesus is

helping his

disciples see

the real

reason that

the Pharisees

have created

all these

rules and

regulations.

The real

thing is

going on

here is

that they

are lowering

the bar

so that

they can

say that

they've got

over the

bar.

Parents,

do you find

this?

If you want

to think

about it

like this,

I'm a

simple person,

my mind

works like

this.

This is

what happens

as a

parent,

the battle

that you

face every

meal time.

Now,

you put

five bits

of broccoli

on the

plate,

and what

does it

turn into

with the

kids?

A

negotiation

game,

doesn't it?

Won't

negotiate

with

terrorists,

but I'm

being held

to ransom

around my

own table

by a

five-year-old.

And you

start,

you say,

if you eat

all five,

we're good,

right?

And they

say,

I'll eat

one.

And you're

in a good

mood,

and you

think,

well,

how about

four,

thinking

they'll

meet you

in the

middle,

but no,

no,

no,

they're

hanging

at one.

Yeah?

And eventually

this goes on

for 20

minutes,

and I'll

let you

figure out

how it

ends,

but what's

can we

just agree

what the

lowest

common

denominator

is?

Can we

just agree

what the

bare

minimum

is,

so that

I can

say,

and we

can all

say,

that I've

qualified?

And Jesus

is saying

that's exactly

what the

Pharisees are

doing with

God's law,

right?

And so

much of the

rest of the

Sermon on

the Mount

is Jesus

bringing out

the law's

true meaning,

in contrast

with the

Pharisees'

minimum

standard

interpretation

of it.

I love

Jen Wilkin,

she puts it

like this,

but this

helps.

When it

comes to

obedience,

Jesus is

changing the

question from

how much

can I get

away with

to how

much can I

get away

from?

And you've

got to come

back over the

next number of

weeks as we

just tease

this out as

we walk

with Jesus

through this

sermon,

which might

be the

clue to

explaining the

puzzle at

verse 20.

Were you

thinking this?

Because I was

thinking this

all week.

You there?

Verse 20?

Because in

the face of

it, Jesus

is saying

something like,

unless your

time for the

100-meter

sprint is

quicker than

you saying

boat,

back in

28,

or whenever

he was

quick,

you will

not enter

the kingdom

of heaven.

Does it not

read a bit

like that?

And you're

thinking,

what chance

do I have?

If the

Pharisees

can't make

it,

and these

guys on

the outside

are squeaky

clean,

if they

can't make

it,

what chance

do I have?

Here's what's

going on.

I think

according to

Jesus,

and just

remember this,

the Pharisees,

despite all

their,

if I could put

it like this,

all their

religious

virtue

signaling,

they aren't

lovers of

God.

Do you know

what they are

according to

Jesus?

When you

pull away

the thinnest

of veneers,

all they are

is lovers

of self.

God didn't

love their

actions,

God loathed

their actions,

because it

was all

external and

no internal.

And so

what is

Jesus saying

will happen

in the

lives of

his people

through the

power of

the Spirit?

Change.

Internal

leading to

external.

Does that

encourage you

this morning?

In my

ordinary

everyday life,

we'll come

back to this

in a minute,

that Jesus

is changing

me on the

inside,

the Spirit

living inside

of me is

turning this

heart of

stone into

a heart of

flesh that

actually longs

to obey

God and

wants to

obey God.

Why?

Because he's

changed us

internally.

He will

produce in

us the

Spirit through

transformed

hearts and

obedience that

truly pleases

the Lord.

And so

here, as we

begin to bring

the threads of

this together,

just think

back to our

walking billboards.

Ignore

Yorkshire

Brew for a

minute.

Here's the

challenge.

Ready for

this?

Here's the

challenge.

It's not to

underplay the

call to

obedience.

It's striking

to see just

how seriously

Jesus takes

obedience to

his Father.

Now,

theologians will

often talk about

the three

dimensions of

the law.

And I thought

about not doing

this, but I

think we need to

do it.

The three

dimensions of

the law.

So if we're

to understand

as New

Testament

believers,

how do we

relate to

the Old

Testament

law?

I think

this might

be helpful.

So you

have the

three

dimensions

of it.

People

talk about

the

ceremonial

part of

the law,

so the

sacrifices,

the temple,

etc.

All those

things would

find a

fulfillment in

the person

and work of

Jesus.

So we

don't need

to go to

a temple

anymore to

worship.

So the

kind of

ceremonial

part of

it has

been

fulfilled

in

Christ.

We've

also got

the civil

law.

So laws

governing

Israel as

a nation

under God,

so that's

how they

handle

disputes,

things like

that.

And so

we're living

at different

times,

we are not

Israel in

the land,

kind of

being fulfilled

in Christ.

And then

you've got

the moral,

which is

God's heart

and his

expressed

character

through the

law.

people.

And it

reveals his

will for

his people.

We just

think about

the moon.

Why is the

moon bright?

Because the

sun shines

on it and

the moon

displays light

to the world.

It's kind of

like that with

God and his

people.

He calls

us to

reflect his

holiness.

And so

this is the

thing, I

take it,

that God is

writing on the

hearts of his

people.

That longing

to display

his heart

and his

character that

we see

revealed here.

You know,

when it comes

to obedience,

I take it

that is

encouragement

for us.

I wonder

if you've

ever thought

to yourself,

does an

act of

obedience

done in

secret,

does it

even matter?

Does

anybody see

it?

That old

riddle of

a tree

falls in

the forest,

does it

make any

sound?

It's kind

of like that,

isn't it?

If I do

something in

secret,

if I'm

obedient in

secret,

but does

anyone see?

Does anyone

care?

And I

take it

that this

and what's

going to

come after

this is

going to

show us

that so

much of

this sermon

is going

to be

about

motivations

and why

we do

what we

do and

whose

praise

are we

living

for.

And is

it not

a wonderful

thought,

before we

get really

specific,

that the

Spirit-inspired

obedience

out of

overflowing

love for

Jesus

is thrilling

in the

sight of

God the

Father.

And let's

be encouraged

by what

Jesus says

we will be

called when

we practice

and teach

these commands.

Do you see

the end of

verse 19?

great in

the kingdom

of heaven.

So the

challenge

here,

friends,

is how

seriously

do we

take

obedience?

And let

that search

you,

that question,

wherever God

might be

putting his

finger on

in your

life,

how seriously

do we

take this

call to

obedience?

And here's

the encouragement,

and maybe just a

little bit longer

here to leave

us in this

encouraging

place.

It's not

to underrate

the power

of obedience.

Because if you

think about it,

what Jesus

says here

is the

opposite of

what the

world tells

us.

Think about

it.

That faith

is a private

thing, keep

it to

yourself.

You can

believe what

you want,

but you can

believe it

over the

hair.

I'd say

there's two

reasons why

we shouldn't

be duped

into thinking

that.

First of

all,

it's the

belief that

everyone has

a world

view,

right?

That mine

is,

it's

happened to

be a

Jesus

shaped one

and someone

else's is

maybe an

agnostic

one or an

atheist

driven one,

but everybody's

got a view

on things.

The question

really is,

will it

hold?

Why do we

believe what

we believe?

And ultimately,

where does it

get us if we

keep on going?

So let that

encourage you

when you live

your life as a

Christian in

public,

that you've

got really good

things to offer.

Everybody's

coming at this

with a view of

the world.

You know,

I've got a

friend,

Colin,

who is a

pastor in

Gilmerton.

He does this

thing once a

month.

He goes,

it's called

Think and

Drink,

and he puts

it out online

and saying,

I'm going to

go to the

Robins Nest

pub.

Now,

if you know

that pub

on the

south side,

you'll know

it's a tasty

place.

I'm not talking

about the

food,

right?

Tasty

place.

But here's

what he

says,

this is

where the

people in

this

community

go.

So he

goes,

I think

it's

every once,

it's on a

Thursday night,

once a month,

he goes and

he sits in

the corner,

gets a

drink,

and he

just waits

to see

who comes.

And it's

this kind

of idea

that drives

him to

do it.

He says,

I've had

some great

conversations

with people

in our

community,

but why

we believe

what we

believe.

So he

picks one

subject for

the evening,

says,

if you want

to come

and talk

about it,

buy a

pint and

we'll

talk

about it.

He

says he

loves

it.

But it's

this kind

of thing

that drives

him to

do it.

So that's

one reason.

But the

second one

that we

shouldn't be

duped into

thinking is

because of

what Jesus

says here.

Our world

says faith

is a private

thing,

keep it to

yourself.

Jesus

says be

your

ordinary

salt and

light

selves

out in

the open.

It's the

opposite to

what the

world

says.

And I

think that

is Jesus'

slightly

comical

logic at

verse 14.

Come and

have a look

at it.

I just

hadn't really

spent the

time thinking

about this

image here.

This is how

my brain

works.

Think about

it like

this.

Imagine

you light

a birthday

cake and

you walk

into a

room full

of people

with that

cake and

you start

singing

happy

birthday

to you

and no

one else

joins in.

And you

think I'm

in for a

penny,

in for a

pound,

I'll go

for it

again.

Happy

birthday

to you

and there's

still puzzled

faces everywhere

and you

stop and

you say

what's

going on?

Why

are you

not

joining

in?

And

everybody

says,

well you've

got a

massive

bowl over

the top

of the

cake and

we don't

know what's

happening.

And you

think,

oh yeah.

And that's

the kind of

logic of

Jesus.

Here do you

see what

he's saying?

He's saying

you wouldn't,

it doesn't

make any

sense to

do that,

to hide

your light.

you.

So why

would you?

It's the

very thing

that works.

Do you

see that?

It's the

very thing

that works.

When you

are salt

and light

in the

world,

in public,

evangelistically,

it's the

very thing

that's going

to work.

The way

that people

see you

love each

other,

and I

can't quite

figure it

out.

The way

that people

see that

you've got

opinions on

human life

and on

end of

life matters

and beginning

of life

matters,

and you're

willing to

take a stand

on that

and talk

about that.

When you

happily embrace

a Christian

sexual ethic,

and the way

that we see

that you're

different in

the workplace,

that you seem

to tell the

truth,

you seem

to just

work when

no one

else is

watching,

when everyone

else,

the boss

goes out,

you go on

BBC Sport.

The way

that people

look at you

at work and

perceive that

you're a

really dependable

employee.

Can I be

honest?

Sometimes,

and I wonder

if you're

like me,

I'm tempted

to think

that those

are exactly

the kind

of things

that will

put people

off.

But Jesus

says they're

exactly the

kind of

things that

will draw

people in.

You know,

we had a few

school parents

around for

dinner last

month,

and it

came to

that moment

in the

meal.

people,

they're

non-believers,

and I

thought about

it,

and I

thought,

well,

this is

our house,

we'll just

do what

we normally

do,

and I

said,

do you

mind if

we just

stop,

we always

do this

as a

family's

meal,

we just

stop at

the beginning

and say

thank you

to God,

is that

okay?

And it

was a bit

awkward,

and we all

had a laugh

about it

afterwards,

but it

was this

passage that

made me

just go

for it.

Don't

hide your

light,

right?

don't

hide,

and is

that not

incredibly

freeing in

our world

of silver

bullets,

and hot

takes,

and the

next new

thing,

where newer

is better,

and where

novelty

attracts?

Is it not

wonderfully

liberating to

hear Jesus

tell his

disciples that

when it

comes to

evangelism,

there ain't

no school

like the

old school?

You see

it?

what has

been working

well for

2,000 odd

years in

terms of

drawing people

to the

beauty of

Jesus.

It's

everyday

believers

doing

everyday

things in

everyday

places in

salt and

light ways.

Will I say

that again?

It's

everyday

believers

doing

everyday

things in

everyday

places in

salt and

light ways,

and saying

there's

something

different

about

you.

I can't

quite work

it out,

but there's

something

different

about

you.

How are

we going

to make

an impact

on this

city,

on this

area?

It's

by being

distinct

disciples who

love the

Lord our

God with

all our

mind,

soul,

heart,

and strength,

and being

a people who

love our

neighbour as

ourselves.

That's the

way that we're

going to make

an impact in

this city,

in your

workplace,

in the

student

halls,

in your

digs,

in the

school

playground,

whatever it

is,

wherever God's

got you,

that is how

you're going

to make a

difference for

him.

Jesus says,

do you see

it?

You are the

light of the

world,

you are the

salt of the

earth,

and this is

the way it's

always worked.

And just as we

close, I was

reminded of

this recently,

I spoke to

my friend Amy.

Amy came to

stay with us a

month or so ago.

Amy used to

be part of

this church

family, she

graduated in

the summer.

Loved Amy,

currently here,

studied geography,

if you get her

in your mind.

I remember

speaking to

Amy, she was

telling me this

story about her

flat and about

how towards the

end of her

tenancy she had

this conversation

with a letting

agent.

And she said

to the letting

agent, I

might know some

people who might

be interested in

taking on the

tenancy.

party.

And her

words to me

were, when I

told them that

they were

Christian students,

part of the

CU, I didn't

even get to

finish the

sentence before

the estate

agent said,

we'd love to

have them.

Isn't that

cool?

Because the

letting agent

thought about

how Amy and

her flatmates

had just looked

after this

flat for two

years.

No world

parties, no

strangers sleeping

over, no

late payments,

no hassle on

the phone,

all of this

stuff, cleaning

it up and

leaving it in a

better condition

than when they

found it.

And the fact

that there might

be another

round of these

kind of students

was the dream

ticket.

But as Amy

was telling me

this story, I

thought to

myself, what a

wonderful reputation

for Christian

students to have

in this city.

Yeah?

And what a

wonderful example

of everyday,

non-spectacular,

faithfully

obedient, salt

and light

living for

Jesus.

People notice.

And so

Jesus says,

salt and

light.

Walking

adverts for

the kingdom

of God.

So friends,

why don't we

pray and

let's just

be quiet

as we

respond in

our own

hearts to

what we've

heard from

God's

word this

morning.

And then

I'll pray

and we'll

finish our

time in

response of

singing together.

Father.

And so

heavenly

father, we

thank you so

much for

sending your

son.

thank you

and we'll

thank you

and we'll

thank you

and we'll

thank you

and we'll

thank you

and we'll

thank you for

the encouragement

that if our

faith is in

your son,

if we're

trusting him

for our

salvation,

if we're

looking to

him as our

pattern for

obedience,

Lord, thank you

that you

promise us

here that we

are the

salt of the

earth, we

are the light

of the world.

And so

Lord, I

pray that

that would

hugely

encourage us

this morning.

Father, I

pray as well

if there's

areas today

in our

individual

lives,

Lord, that

perhaps we

are out of

sync with

your will,

maybe in the

way that we're

living or the

things that we're

believing or the

circles that we're

dabbling in.

Lord, I pray

that you would

put people

around us

that can help

us bring us

back on track.

Thank you for

the call this

morning to

holiness, to

obedience, to

that devotion to

you.

And so, Father, I

pray that you'd be

with us as we

finish our time

together this

morning.

Thank you for

your word.

Thank you that we

have it in our

own language.

We can pick up,

we can read, we

can understand, and

we can respond.

So, Lord, help us

this morning, we

pray.

Thank you for our

time together.

Thank you for your

word.

Pray all of these

things in Jesus'

precious name.

Amen.

Amen.

Thank you.