Making Your Life Count

The enhanced podcast Monday, August 15 believe is the kind of God uses to bring about spiritual people clients evaluate your behavior as today's program reveals key principles for making your life count, Christ's portrayal of the believer is a declaration of our worth and importance from his viewpoint and automobile passage anywhere the describes that any clearer than a simple passage found in the sermon on the Mount, close to the very beginning about sermon.

So if you turn to Matthew chapter 5 I want us to read several verses in this fifth chapter level background and then I want us to talk about the question. Does your life count.

That is, does it make it a real difference that you're alive and if you want to live or to make it a real difference in anybody else's life would make it a real difference to God is your life really count those that have worth and value not only to you and to God.

But is that have worth and value to someone else. But in the sermon on the Mount chapter 5. Let's look if you will, the beginning of that passage. The Bible says that when he saw the multitudes, he went up on the mountain.

After this he sat down with his disciples. They came to him and he opened his mouth and then begins the Beatitudes about the kind of person we are to be then when you come to verse 10 he says blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven, blessed are you when men shall cast insults that you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely on account of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is in heaven. Your reward in heaven is great for so persecuted the prophets which were before you.

Then he says you are the salt of the earth.

But if the salt has become tasteless. How will it be made salty again is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world I city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Though the men light a lamp and put on the peck measure, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven now, when we look at a passage like this.

If we don't see it in the background in which it was written, and if we don't hear what they heard in the context in which they heard it. It'll be sorta meaningless to us. I want us to look at these two terms because Jesus uses two metaphors here.

He says not that you like salt and light, but he says you are salt and you are like you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. He uses those two terms in order to describe the believers powerful potential for influencing the world for good and for righteousness and so he said to them, he said you are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world now when Jesus sent you the salt of the earth to the people who heard him in the context of 2000 years ago and that society he paid them a tremendous compliment because salt was a bad.

Let's look at what how we look at salt today. Now usually you will look at a salt shaker and say what you know the thing that we are interested in is what kind of shaker. It soon whether it's a crystal wrong or cheap on a plastic you know salt is not a very valuable to us.

Those people with heart trouble. Don't want to salt in their diet, but now what about when you when you cook you ladies you don't to ignore the salt you sprinkle salt and because what you want to do you want to change the taste of it, whether it is scrambled eggs. Whether it is oatmeal human tasted oatmeal go salt.

Can anything be so insipid and bland is oatmeal without salt you want on your sake you want on your green veins or your turnip greens, or whatever it might be but you want a little bit of salt. Because salt changes the flavor. It's a seasoning process now you been in the restaurant sometime or the other or maybe when you are kid growing up, you are guilty of this.

We have been in the restaurant. Your food was there and you pick up the salt shaker and some kids had been there before you were there and they loosen the top and the top fellow in the whole state is loaded with so what did you do did you get a small you Satan and I can't wait, no, because a big mouthful of salt would be absolutely obnoxious what is Jesus saying to us, he says that you are not. Sprinkle the life within us, who is Christ, so that we season and change the atmosphere in which I live. He says you are the salt of the earth the season to season Jesus as you are the salt of their and he says that is a compliment to believers, but now let me ask you this, whose life are you seasoning whose life is flavored because they know you.

Whose life has been changed because they met you every single one of us is flavoring somebody even for the good or for evil, and I want to ask you today, whose life is your life changing. Because when you add salt you change something. Then he said to them, he said. You also are the light of the world. We have Christ living within us. So don't ever get the idea that my friend that you are not of the lights went out the lights. We are in the containers of the light the real light is the Lord Jesus Christ through his Holy Spirit living within is now list. Put it on today's level where you and I will you are the light of the world a citizenship on a hill cannot be hidden so immediately. We know that life is to be seen light is to be seen. A city set upon a hill growing with lights in the evening can be seen what from a very very far distance. What is that say to us about our Christian testimony. First of all light dispels and drives out darkness where we live in where we work and when we play out very presence want to be pushing against and dispelling it driving out the darkness, but the something else that light does it.

He says the light set up on a hill cannot be hidden and not upon a hill oftentimes was a ray of hope when someone saw the lights on the hill.

They knew where they were.

The light is also used as a guide when you use a flashlight for out of the trail walking and camping but it might be you have the light out at night. In those days they carried torches.

They understood they understood that all light was a guide you know anything at this point. He says you are the light of the world you are guiding somebody somebody is following us and what we have to ask is, are we walking in such a fashion that who ever is following us is going to follow us in a direction and told ago that is going to be healthy for them and helpful in their Christian experience. We are lights that are dispelling darkness, we shine the light to know where the walk and we walk where it is safe in the wall because somebody is following us and we don't want to leave them in the wrong direction. Wonder who's following your life. Wonder who's watching where you go. Wonder who's listening to what you say wonder who's live your life is guiding that is totally surprising to you, then oftentimes we forget about this aspect of life and that is, he said a light set upon a hill cannot be hidden. He said don't put your light under this under this peck measure, but he said. Driver said it where it can be seen throughout all the house and listen, you can take a photographer's studio and you can set a very, shall we say nominally lovely lady on the stool there at the right backdrop.

The cameras were in place and she looks pretty good when you know she's sort of acceptable but a photographer can take the lights and set them in the right perspective and channel the light on the back of her hair little bit across her forward and little bit on the side. All of a sudden, the more he shines the light in the right place.

She just gets beautiful. You know it's made a beautiful the light is brought out her countenance. It's more of the she and her hair. You begin to see her from a whole different perspective. You know why because the light has lit up her countenance.

You begin to see the glistening in her eyes. Everything about her changes and the only thing the change was this. She's sitting the same position. Hidden the same position.

Nothings move.

The only thing that's happened is the photographer has begun to place the lights in such a fashion that it brings out and reveals the beauty in her face. You know what God is saying to us that our presence in this world beautifies this world you walking into your business or in your home or where you fellowship and I believe you can spot a Christian. Most the time. Maybe not all the time, but most the time when a person is walking in the spirit that something about their haven't you walk up the people their eyes to sparkle.

I mean they just grabbed you with their eyes, the countenance of Jesus Christ shining through them.

It's written all over their face. That is a beauty mark in this world. He says that you and I are the light of the world wherever we are. We are to beautify this old sin sick world because, listen, illuminating from within us is the light of the person of Jesus Christ, his very life is overflowing and abundantly overflowing out of her life, so that those who sales not seeing us but seeing the person is and is who is Christ Jesus. A light beautifies, but does something else that is exposes have you been out the woods and you turn up a big rock and all of a sudden just varmints went everywhere hiding under that rock in the darkness because they love the darkness. Jesus said, he says men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Light exposes listen while we are here not only listen to drive out the darkness to beautify this earth were also here to expose the darkness. The light of truth. It's living within you the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ, abiding in you that light exposes era it reveals it for what it is. It exposes the report is it shows it manifest the truth of that's why the world is not one is around because the presence of your life in their midst.

Don't you have friends who are unsaved to invite you to some things that wouldn't dare invite you of the thing I'll tell you why because your presence made them extremely uncomfortable because you see your very presence reminds them of what they ought to be and you see in their eyes. If you don't have fun.

You don't want to have any holy reminders over here so it's just best not to invite you them more comfortable in your absence.

But God says that's what we're here to beautify the earth but also to expose the darkness and to reveal the truth pieces. You are the salt seasoning preserving you the light driving out the darkness exposing it, revealing it, beautifying it, but I want to see something very interesting in this passage of Scripture because of what Jesus said now is not only interesting here that he portrays us like salt and light and he is emphasizing our potential for change in our society by what you go to something that sometimes we shy away from notice he says verse 14 utilizing oral citizen on the hill cannot be hidden. Men light a lamp and put on the peck measure, but on the lampstand that may give light to all who in the house.

What is he saying he says now you the light of the world, and light is to be seen. You know what he saying to us, there is no place for private Christian the Christian is to be thrown into a society where there will be persecution and they will reject you. He says, but I have made you salt and light so when you place in that kind of environment.

Your presence makes a chain.

The idea of living a private Christian like this and people said I think you keep religion to yourself. I will tell you that is totally on Scripture.

You know, while the unbelieving world wants us to keep out Christianity wraps help because they're scared to death of the influence and the impact and the potential for change that the body of Christ has once it gets upset and once it gets on the move in the love of God, they become frightened so unable to pass laws that keep us in the four walls of the building. They will pass laws to protect themselves from our influence as believers is in the Christian life is not to be live inside four walls on anything it is to be live in a society that is decaying that is degenerating that is full of darkness that is full of evil and wickedness and sinfulness. We are made from ministry. We are made as listen agents of change in a society that is in opposition to Almighty God. When we ever get the idea that we can all meet on Sunday morning so we can all be cozy and we can all pray we can worship in single goal is one of a Christian. Thanks. Next we come to come back there again. No is soon as you leave the doors. Your opportunity begins. It begins where it hurts it against what you rejected. It begins where you criticized it begins what you dislike so let me ask you question how much food can you season as long as you keep the salt in that salt box not any my friend, here's the problem the nation which will living is degenerating Morrow lay in every area. It isn't God's fault, and I believe on the primary reasons for the degeneration. Is that too many of God's people have a misconception of who we are. We are listen. He says we are salt we are light the nature of who we are wherever we are. We by nature are two effect change in my friend know when the bow was in sync with the court, the world's favor.

It is the same with the court, the world's favor so fond of the likeness of much that's not it.

He says they going to persecute you, they can reject you. He says, but look at your potential you salt. Can you imagine what happened in your office you sent about an office is lost, something about quitting. Don't quit.

That's why God put you there. I work around a bunch of folks have a filthy mouth. So what the people are working on ungodly wonderful but you know we will add tendencies that often I get is a good job so we saw all the saints can be together. He says we are to be public in a Christian one last thing.

Look, if you will, he says now verse 16. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

That is when our works are right. What happens in OCS and listen carefully when we are salting and lighting down our society is what happens when they look at as they look right by us to him.

Here's the key. He says let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, not you.

Your good works and glorify the father. Think about this that because of your presence. Listen, somebody wants to know him.

Somebody wants to see him.

Somebody begins to see him to accept him to obey him to follow him to love him to serve him, to adore him to worship him. Tell him to on him.

Why, because they watched you they sell you my friend, you realize that the place God has placed you as uncomfortable as you may be, it may be that you are shining brighter there than anyplace you have ever worked in your life. I will ask you one last question, listen to me very carefully who has seen him because they first saw you, who's looking at you and looking for him who seeing in you a reflection of him. The truth is you don't know. But here's the main question is our life, salting and light enough in all the works of their hands, and of administration avocations of the quality that when people see us. All of a sudden they began to want something they don't know what they want something and before long we were able to tell them what they really want is the father. They just look right us to the father. He said when I'll salt is right and where life is right they will see the good works, but they will glorify the father I want you to think about this.

We weren't made as believers just to assemble and be satisfied. We were made as believers, salt, light agents, spiritual chain every where we go.

Who's watching you. You don't know what I want to ask you. In Jesus name you so commit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, that it would just be so natural for those who meet you will want to make our Savior. Thank you for listening to you making your life count. If you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley for entice ministry sent by impacts.org is typecast as the presentation and intense ministry in Atlanta, Georgia