MY FAITH IS PRIVATE - Matthew 5:13-16

All right. If you have a Bible or an

app, open it up. We're going to be in

the Gospel of Matthew this morning.

>> Matthew chapter 5. We're going to be

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

reading verses 13- 16. Now, over the

past couple of weeks, we have been in an

annual series that we call Mythbusters.

And what this series allows us to do is

look at myths that are uh pervasive and

oftent times persuasive in the culture.

And it allows us an opportunity to hit

the pause button and say, "What does the

Bible say about these things?" And so,

we've looked at some myths that go this

way. You are enough.

You are the commander of your own

destiny. We've looked at myths that will

say, "Follow your heart. If it feels

right to you, then it must be true."

And as we hit the pause button to open

up the scriptures, to look at what the

Bible says about the very things that

social media throws in our face, that

the news reports on that conversations

that we have, even in our circle of

friends, maybe even with family members,

it allows us to say, "What does God's

word say? How can we live our lives

looking at every part of the world that

we live in through the lens of truth?"

This is really the crux. This is the

foundation of this sermon series. This

should be the foundation of our lives.

That everything we say, everything we

think, everything we do, choices,

decisions, how we engage in

relationships, how we go about

stewarding our finances, how we go about

resourcing our time and our talents.

Everything about us should be viewed and

filtered through the lens of biblical

truth. You know, when I was growing up,

there was a diagnostic question that we

can ask ourselves to ensure that we were

indeed operating in accordance with

biblical standards. And you guys

remember this question. It was, "What

would Jesus do?"

Today, it sounds cliche, but it's rooted

in eternal truth.

No matter what we approach in life, no

matter what we face, and I would bet

some of you are facing some choices,

some difficult circumstances right now,

and you're wondering, "How do I navigate

them? If I choose door number one, my

future looks this way. If I choose door

number two, my future looks this way. I

don't know what to do." The question

that we should ask always and forever

is, "Well, what would my Lord and Savior

do? What does God the Father expect of

me as someone who claims Son as Lord and

Savior and who is called to operate by

the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit

that indwells, rests, and empowers

believers?

What would Jesus do? So this morning

we're going to look at another myth that

unfortunately seems to pervade society.

Often times it's phrased this way or at

least I've heard it this way phrased

before. There are two things you don't

discuss at family gatherings.

Politics and religion.

There seems to be this cultural belief

that your faith is fine so long as your

faith remains your faith. So long as

your faith remains private. You can

believe in Jesus all you want. Just

don't impose your biblical standards on

my life. Don't hold me accountable.

Don't bring biblical truth my way. But

what does the Bible say about this

cultural myth? Are we called to be a

people who cling to hope, faith, and

trust in Jesus Christ and then tuck it

away in a prayer closet, never to be

shined brightly to a world in need?

Absolutely

not.

If there's one thing I want us to

understand this morning is that if you

claim to be a Christian,

Christ in you should be Christ through

you. Not just on Sunday mornings, but

Monday morning at the office, Tuesday

afternoon at the pickup line, Wednesday

night when you're hanging out with

friends, Thursday and Friday at the

football games, Christ in you should be

Christ through you. And while the world

says keep your faith private, Jesus says

let your light shine before the world.

>> And this is what we're looking at this

morning.

This idea that faith is to remain

private goes against everything the

Bible declares

God's people to be. And while the gospel

and our relationship with Jesus indeed

is deeply and profoundly personal, yes,

it is never meant to be private.

It must shine for the world to see.

And maybe you're like me because I'm

skeptical by nature. I think that's part

of the reason I'm so intrigued by the

Bible. I'll I'll read things and I'll

be, "Wait a minute. Why does it say

that? Why does God expect that of us,

which then prompts me and compels me to

then look at cross references, look at

the context, look at the history,

because I want to understand more of who

God is." And so maybe you're hearing me

this morning and and what you are

hearing is, "Well, does Roland want me

to stand on my soap box and become a

street preacher? Become one of those

annoying Bible thumpers? Is this what

Roland is saying that we need to do?

That this is who we need to be?" I'm

glad you asked that question

because we're going to dive into what

does this really look like for the

believer.

This should be so natural for us

that it doesn't come across as one

standing on their soapbox,

as one who's casting judgment, as as one

who thinks they're better than others.

As a matter of fact, the Bible would

speak against that sort of attitude.

The goal is that we would be so consumed

with Jesus that the natural overflow of

our lives demonstrates the gospel in our

life.

And here's the plain truth. Jesus never

envisioned, the gospel never paints a

picture where Christianity is unseen.

You were saved not to tuck away your

faith but to show your faith. So let's

go to the words of Jesus in Matthew

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5 beginning in verse 13. We'll

read on to verse

16. Now I want us to understand this is

coming right at the conclusion of what

Jesus has been preaching in what we call

the sermon on the mount. And if you're

familiar with the sermon on the mount,

Jesus takes an opportunity during that

sermon to preach what we call the

biatitudes.

So Jesus is letting people know his

followers that if you are a believer in

Jesus, if you have placed faith in the

father through the son indwelled by the

uh power of the holy spirit, then this

is what's expected of you. This is how

you can be known as a child of God. This

is how you can be acknowledged as a

citizen of God's kingdom when these

things take place. Which is why the

biatitudes will start with the word

blessed.

Blessed are those who and Jesus goes

through a sum of them. And then at the

end

he gets to a reality

that every Christian at some point and

at some level will face that is

opposition to the truth that we claim

and opposition to the gospel that we

hold so so dear.

Every believer at some point and

according to some level will undergo

oppression, opposition and persecution.

And the goal of what Jesus tells us in

verses 13- 16 is that persecution

should be an expected part of the

Christian life. Why? Because we're not

ashamed of the gospel.

That the gospel should shine so brightly

through our lives that when people hate

it, they will hate you. Hm. Didn't Jesus

say something very similar?

The world will hate you, but take heart.

The world has hated me first.

Which is why time and time again,

specifically throughout the New

Testament, you'll have the biblical

writers talk about joy in suffering,

that they'll rejoice in trials.

Why? Not because those things are joyful

in and of themselves, but because they

know that that process has associated

them with Jesus.

What they're rejoicing at is their team

Jesus and that Christ is being

recognized through them. So verse 13

here in Matthew chapter 5,

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

here's how it reads. Remember Jesus is

preaching here.

You

you

this is written in the emphatic.

What that means is this isn't a

generalization. This is you Roland.

Christ is speaking to you son of God,

daughter of God, child of God. If you

have placed your whole faith and trust

in Jesus as Lord and Savior, you need to

insert your name there. You are the salt

of the earth.

But

if the salt should lose its taste,

how can it be made salty? It is no

longer good for anything but to be

thrown out and trampled under people's

feet. Notice that Jesus is beginning

with identity here.

You are salt.

This is who you are. Because here at the

conclusion of our passage, he's going to

get at what you should be doing.

And what you should be doing should

always, if we're talking biblically

here, should be rooted in who you are.

Or to better phrase it, should be rooted

in who's you are. He continues verse 14.

You, again, the emphatic, it's not a

general statement. It's your name. You

are the light of the world.

A city that is situated on a hill cannot

be hidden. Don't hide your light. Don't

hide your faith. There's a beautiful

picture that Jesus is painting here with

his words. No city that illuminates the

night sky can be hidden.

No one lights a lamp, verse 15, and puts

it under a basket, but rather on a

lampstand,

and it gives light for all who are in

the house. Here's the reality for so

many of us. You might be the only light

people see.

You might be the only light in your

friend group. You might be the only

light in the office. You might be the

only light in your home.

Jesus calls you to take that light of

truth, to take that light of the gospel,

set it on a lampstand so that those in

your circle, those in your perimeter can

recognize that light that shines in you

and through you. It gives light for all

who are in the house. Verse 16.

In the same way,

let your light shine before others.

Remember what do we have in verse 13?

This is your identity.

Now, this is the overflow of your

identity, your salt, your light, the

result. Let it shine so that they may

see your good works. We'll get to this

here in just a moment. and give glory to

your father who is in heaven. And all

God's people said,

>> Lord, would you bless your word? Holy

Spirit, would you stir our hearts this

morning?

This is a powerful powerful passage

particularly when Jesus begins to unpack

what it looks like and what it means for

those who claim sunship and daughtership

and claim God as their eternal father

through faith in Jesus Christ. And then

he begins to unpack the reality of

Christians past, present and future that

persecution, opposition and oppression

is a reality that we will face. And what

happens when that comes? What happens

when we encounter that? We don't

retreat. We don't run away. We dig in.

We stand firm. We endure

because he who exists rests and lives

through us and in us is greater than the

one. His enemies,

the demons

that would come against us.

And if you're familiar with the entirety

of Matthew's gospel here in Matthew

Matthew 4 · chapter mention

chapter 4 as Jesus begins his public

ministry, he calls us to repentance and

then he reminds us that the kingdom of

God has come near. And that's biblical

talk to say that the kingdom of God is

not something far and away. It's not

something that we wait for when we draw

our last breath and then magically

appear in God's kingdom when we awaken

in the afterlife. No, God is

demonstrating through the words of Jesus

that his kingdom is visible and can be

experienced right now. God's kingdom

exists in and among us. Which is why it

is so important that as citizens of that

kingdom, we would represent that kingdom

well. And you can't represent the

kingdom you're a citizen of if you keep

that citizenship private.

It must be displayed.

It must shine. It must show.

Jesus knows

that public identification with him is

vital to the advancement of his kingdom.

This is why we celebrate baptism so

much.

Because when you are baptized,

that is the first step in publicly

identifying with Christ and his kingdom.

When you are washed by the blood and

then washed by the water, you are

declaring to a world in need, I belong

to Jesus and I am unashshamed.

Jesus never envisioned a Christianity

that could be faithfully lived without

anybody noticing.

And if you claim to be a faithful

Christian, but no one knows that you're

a Christian, you're not living

faithfully. This might rattle some of

y'all. You're living unfaithfully

because Christianity was never meant to

be private. And here's the point. The

point is that Christians need to become

abn

obnoxiously

obnoxiously public about everything they

believe.

And that only happens through genuine

obedience and disciplehip that is

visible in our lives, visible in our

words, visible in our priorities,

visible in how we make decisions,

relationships, how we're generous with

what God has entrusted us with, visible

in how you're compassionate to others,

in the convictions that you hold, in the

integrity that should be our lives. So

here's what I want to do. I want to look

at three things that I believe we can

draw from our passage that show us what

a visible faith looks like and what a

visible faith does. So, we'll go through

each of those three things. We'll look

back on our passage and we'll pray

and we'll cling to the truth of God's

word

and maybe for some of us repent

from privately keeping what God is meant

to be public

and maybe for others to be affirmed and

sharpened that you're doing what God has

called you to do. So if you're taking

notes, here's the first thing we want to

look at. Your faith should make you

different. That goes without saying. If

you're familiar at all with what

Christianity is and what the Bible calls

us to do and who the Bible calls us to

be, we know that our faith should make

us different. That is why there is such

emphasis right here in verse 13.

You are the salt of the earth. Let me

stop there for just a moment. What is

salt meant to do

in our culture? It's meant to flavor

things.

It's meant to bring out the best. Now,

if you know me, you know I'm a foodie. I

love food.

And there's something unique about salt.

When it's placed on food, it's meant to

allow you to taste the best of the

chef's offerings.

>> This is what salt does. Salt flavors.

Some of you need to be the flavor. Well,

maybe you don't need to be the flavor in

your office. That just sounds really

weird.

But you need to bring life into your

office.

You need to bring a recognition

of Christ living in you and and through

you.

You need to demonstrate the joy of the

Lord in your life.

This is how we bring flavor to a world

in need. But salt doesn't just provide

flavor. And more contextually speaking

in what Jesus is getting at here in

Matthew 5, what does salt do? Now think

the ancient world

preserves.

Salt preserves.

And in a world that undoubtedly is going

to pot. In a world that undoubtedly is

being polluted, adulterated, marred,

formed, and and shaped by the evil and

chaos that exists.

We're called to preserve the goodness,

the holiness, and the righteousness

that Christ lived to uphold.

That he died so that the Holy Spirit

would empower us through faith in him to

live out. We're called to preserve that.

What does that look like for our life?

Are we living in such a way where we are

different? Salt was incredibly valuable

throughout the ancient world. So much so

that it was actually used as a form of

currency

for many. This is the value that salt

had. So it's not lost on the listeners

here that Jesus is proclaiming this to

of what he means when he says you are

the salt of the earth. This is on this

is not on the screen, but I did some

more cross reference in here and I

thought this was incredible. Leviticus

Leviticus 2:13

chapter 2 verse 13 talks about and

associates

being seasoned and preserved by salt.

It's associated with purity. And oftent

times throughout the Old Testament,

you'll pick up on this phrase, a

covenant of salt.

In other words, an agreement, a promise,

a covenant

that is being illustrated and

demonstrated through what salt is meant

to do, which is preserved.

So, this is no lights or momentary

moment

for the listeners of Jesus.

They're recognizing a profound and

eternal truth. And this is the way

Leviticus chapter 2 phrases it. You are

Leviticus 2 · chapter mention

to season each of your grain offerings

with salt.

You must not omit from your grain

offering the salt of your covenant with

God.

What you bring before God should be

seasoned by the salt of your life. When

we gather here and we sing songs before

the Lord. When we give of our tithes and

our offerings. When we're serving in

ministries. When we're gathered in Bible

study, growing in God's word. as you sit

there taking notes and listening, you

should season it with the salt of your

life

because Jesus has paid the once and for

all sacrifice.

And so the sacrifice that Christ that

God the Father in Christ requires now

from you is what? A sacrifice of praise,

a sacrifice of worship. And that takes

place when your life is lived

differently.

We also know this about salt. Salt

changes whatever it touches

precisely because it's different from

what it touches.

God doesn't save us out of the world

merely to isolate us from the world. He

saves us from the world so that through

our transformation and salvation, we

would be a testimony and witness to the

world that Christ is better. This is the

entire argument of the book of Hebrews.

And I've heard it put this way. This

isn't original.

Christian holiness

should never be done in isolation.

Now, that doesn't mean that you're not

holy when you're in private, but the

picture it's painting here is that

holiness should be seen in public. Now,

now notice the rest of this verse, verse

13. But if the salt should lose its

taste, how can it be made salty? Here's

the beautiful thing. I don't want us to

miss this. Pure salt can never lose its

taste.

However, in the ancient world, the

danger that pure salt faced was that it

could be contaminated by other minerals,

by other deposits. It could be

contaminated by other things. It also

faced what was called salt leeching. In

other words, if moisture entered the

environment, then the salt would leech

away. It would evaporate. It wouldn't be

there anymore. And what appeared to be

salt was not really salt. Therefore, it

was no longer useful for preservation.

It was no longer useful for flavor.

Here's what Jesus is getting at. You are

set apart to bring flavor and

preservation to the world in need. But

so many of us can fall into the trap of

allowing outside things to influence us.

So therefore, we're no longer salt.

We're no longer bringing flavor and

preservation to the world because now we

look just like the world rather than

looking different rather than living

different rather than operating

differently. And Jesus gives us a

warning. Don't lose your saltiness.

You are meant to be set apart.

And here's where we can be challenged.

Here's the diagnostic for us. If your

beliefs,

if your lifestyle,

if your words, your decision-making are

identical to the culture,

if your morality and way of living and

thinking are identical to the culture,

if your priorities are identical to the

culture, if your relationships are

identical to the culture, you have to

ask yourself, where's the salt?

Has the salt of my life become

tasteless?

Is it being trampled underfoot because

I'm identifying more with the world than

I am with Christ who came to save me

from it? Because if following Jesus

never makes you different

if it never brings transformation

in your life, then how can the church

ever make a difference in the world? How

can truth ever be spotted and recognized

in a world and culture that is filled

with lies? So church, your faith should

make you different. Here's the second

thing we see.

Your faith should be impossible to hide.

Your life should overflow

and result in a lifestyle that shines

Christ in every part of your life.

That should be the natural flow of your

life because you are in such a desperate

and meaningful and intentional pursuit

of Christ. So those things become second

nature for you. They become natural for

you.

It's impossible for me to hide the love

I have for my wife, the love I have for

my kids. Why? Because that's the natural

overflow of my relationship with them.

It's the same way with your relationship

with Jesus. What is a natural overflow?

And it should overflow so powerfully and

so visibly that it's impossible to hide

it. Go with me to verses 14 through 15.

You are the light of the world.

A city situated on a hill cannot cannot

be hidden.

And yet,

maybe through fear and shame,

embarrassment,

or or maybe it's just ignorance.

So many people who profess Christ as

savior with their words do not profess

Christ as Lord with their lives.

And so they take the truth, they they

take the light that should illuminate

the darkness

that we are so trapped in.

They hide it. They They tuck it away.

They put it under a basket.

And Jesus says, "A city on a hill cannot

be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts

it under a basket, but rather on a

lampstand, and it gives life for all who

are in the house."

It was Isaiah chapter 49. And if you're

Isaiah 49 · chapter mention

familiar with the writings of Isaiah,

Isaiah was a prophet called by God

to proclaim the love and judgment of God

to a people who were rebelling against

God. And time and time again, Israel is

reminding them of who they are so they

can understand who they are called to

be, what they are called to live out.

And this is why Isaiah is so powerful

when it comes to messianic tones. During

Christmas time, we hear a lot about

Isaiah because Isaiah, as he's

proclaiming the judgments of God to the

people of God who are rebelling against

God, he's reminding them, hey, a Messiah

is going to come one day and he will

save us from all of this. So don't lose

heart. Don't lose faith. Cling to the

Lord in hope. Cling to the Lord in

trust. Don't hide from him. run to him

because he is sending his son one day to

set us free. And here's the beautiful

thing for us on this side of the cross.

We have seen and known and have read and

have experienced a reality. This is why

I constantly say that we are living in

fulfilled prophecy.

We don't talk a lot about prophecy in

Baptist circles. The word sometimes

scares us.

But we operate in the prophetic in that

we are living in fulfilled prophecy and

we will continue to do so until the day

Christ returns

and the earthly and heavenly

consummation take place and his kingdom

is restored in its glory forever and

ever. And if that's the reality of what

we are aiming at, why would we stay

silent? Why would we hide the light of

the gospel? And so Isaiah

in chapter 49:6,

he will share this promise that God

gives the people, the people of God. He

says, "I will make you a light for the

nations

so that my salvation will be taken to

the ends of the earth." Ain't that

beautiful? that when you shine your

light,

when people see the transformation that

has happened in your life because of

Jesus Christ, your testimony, your

story, how God has worked in you and how

God is working through you, we take part

in the kingdom of God moving forward and

calling sinners to repentance,

resurrecting people out of death and sin

to light everlasting.

Your faith should be impossible to hide.

And here's here's for for me as a pastor

who has been in ministry for 20 plus

years. Here's what I find so troubling.

Some Christians haven't outright

abandoned Jesus,

but they have put a basket over him.

They're Christian at church, but their

Christianity is hidden at work. They're

Christian around believers, but it's

hidden around another group of friends.

or they're Christian on Sunday, but they

hide it during the work week.

And again, I want to go back to the

context here. Jesus

just told his followers that persecution

is coming. Be mindful of that.

And when persecution comes, we can get

caught in the trap of allowing the fear

in our lives to influence our decisions.

And so when difficulties arise,

when circumstances arise, and maybe it's

not outright fear of persecution, maybe

it's just fear of what others might

think.

Maybe it's fear of of things going bad.

And so what do we do? Fear then

influences us to grab the basket

and to hide under it because we don't

want to go public with our faith. We

don't want to stand

with Jesus.

Jesus did not share his light with us.

Remember in John's gospel, John 8:12, I

John 8:12

believe Jesus says, "I am the light of

the world."

Jesus doesn't share his light with us so

that we can then blend in with the

world. He shares his light with us so

that we can shine it to a world in need.

So your faith should be impossible to

hide. Here's the last thing. Your faith

should point to Jesus.

It should point to Jesus. This is where

we come full circle.

I mentioned earlier, maybe you're

hearing this and you're thinking, "Does

Roland want me to stand on a soap box?

Does he want me to be a street preacher?

What does Roland want me to do?" I want

your life to point to Jesus.

How is your life pointing to Jesus?

Verse 16.

In the same way, Jesus says,

"Let your light shine before others."

Watch this.

So that

as a result of because of you not hiding

your faith, you living differently, they

may see your good works.

Your good works.

Not your idleness,

not your silence, but your good works,

visible good works. Ephesians chapter 2

Ephesians 2:10

verse 10, I am God's workmanship,

created in Christ Jesus for the purpose

of good works. When God created you,

when he formed you and crafted you and

gave you your gifts, gave you your good

looks, gave you your character, when he

gave everything about you and for you,

he did so so that in your workmanship,

in his workmanship, you would recognize

that the work of your life should point

back to him

so that they may see your good works and

give glory to your father who is in

heaven.

The life that we live should be visible

evidence of transformation.

Notice what Jesus is saying. He is

saying, "Let them see me in you.

Let them see a changed

life." Now, here's where it gets tricky.

Because if you're familiar with the

Gospel of Matthew for the Bible nerds in

the room in Ma one chapter later, what

is Jesus going to say?

He's going to say, "Don't let your

righteous deeds be showcased in public.

Keep them private."

And if we are unschooled with the

context, we might think, "Hey, these

these are battling against one another."

On one chapter Jesus says, "Be public."

public. On another chapter, he says,

"Keep your righteous deeds private."

What's what's happening here? Here's

what's happening.

Jesus is telling us who gets the glory.

And in the context of Matthew 6, he's

saying, "Don't let your righteousness be

public if your public righteousness is

motivated by a glory for self."

Let's not do that. But if it's motivated

for a glory for the father,

let that light shine.

Take your salt and flavor and preserve

the office,

the stands on Friday nights,

the cashier, the conversation, the

checkout line, everything about your

life. Live in such a way so that what

you do glorifies

God.

Because here's the reality. I wrote a

list because I don't want to miss these

parts. Here's the truth. Your marriage

points somewhere.

Your generosity points somewhere. How

you forgive points somewhere. How you're

compassionate points somewhere. Your

sexuality points somewhere. Your courage

points somewhere. Your response to

injustices and suffering points

somewhere. Your social media posts point

somewhere.

Your internet history points somewhere.

The profiles you follow on social media

points somewhere. The group chat that

you're in points somewhere. And the

Christian life is supposed to function

like a signpost and a huge blinking

arrow that says Jesus.

And does those things in your life do

that?

Maybe for some of us, we've been asking

the wrong question.

Maybe the question we've been asking is,

"Do people know I'm a Christian?" And

and that's noble. That that's

praiseworthy.

But I want to help and I want to

challenge us clarify it a bit. Not just

do people know I'm a Christian, but do

people see Christ in me?

Because there are so many people who

claim Christ with their mouth,

but it doesn't point people to Christ

with their actions.

Do people see Christ in you? Your faith

was never meant to be private.

It was meant to shine brightly to a

world in need. Let's pray. Lord, we

thank you for your word.

We thank you for the opportunity to

gather this morning.

Lord, would you bless our remaining time

here in just a moment as we worship you

through song as we enter into a time of

response?

Lord, as you stir hearts

to repent of sins, to cling to you as

our only hope,

I pray that their hearts would be

softened

and receptive to how you're moving and

working. In Christ's name we pray. All

God's people said, "Amen." Hey, let's

stand together. We're going to close the

service. We're going to sing. Let the

words be your prayer. Not just words

that you repeat, but words that you're

praying. Our altar is going to be open.

And this is an opportunity for you to

respond.

Maybe some of you, you'd like to respond

in faith to Jesus because you've never

placed your hope, faith, and trust in

Jesus Christ.

Maybe some of you, you'd like to respond

in repentance because for far too long,

you've just kept the gospel hidden for

whatever reason.

Or maybe this week will be your response

as you choose to shine the light of

Christ

to those around you. This is an

opportunity for you to have some

one-on-one time with the Lord. I'll be

available. I'd love to pray with you. If

you'd love to come and have some time at

the altar alone, this is for you. I love

you, church.