1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:07,440 When faith shows up. Parable of salt and light. Now, Thursday 2 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:13,960 this week is career and calling Career fair on campus. And 3 00:00:13,960 --> 00:00:16,720 I hope you got your resume ready. And there are going to be 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:20,080 a lot of companies here, a lot of organizations here. Great time 5 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:24,520 to start planting seed to get the right job. And I hope you got 6 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:28,560 a good resume. You know, I look at an awful lot of resumes. 7 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,620 I look at hundreds of them through the years. And a good resume 8 00:00:31,620 --> 00:00:34,900 can make a huge difference in how it's formatted. So get help in 9 00:00:34,900 --> 00:00:39,900 our Career and Crawling center if you haven't done that. But you've 10 00:00:39,900 --> 00:00:43,500 got amazing qualifications and gifts. I've been thrilled what our 11 00:00:43,500 --> 00:00:46,219 alumni have done through the years. You're going to be the same. 12 00:00:46,220 --> 00:00:48,620 I hope somebody in here is going to go into higher education 13 00:00:48,700 --> 00:00:51,780 administration. I can't do this job forever. And one of you 14 00:00:51,780 --> 00:00:55,180 got to come take my place one day so somebody get called into higher 15 00:00:55,180 --> 00:01:01,500 ed. But wherever God's calling you, your most important resume is 16 00:01:01,500 --> 00:01:04,500 not the one you're going to have in your hand on Thursday Accruing 17 00:01:04,500 --> 00:01:07,740 calling day. The most important resume comes from the Sermon 18 00:01:07,740 --> 00:01:12,340 on the Mount. It's the standard that Jesus gave us of success. 19 00:01:13,300 --> 00:01:18,340 And he described it in what's known as the Beatitudes. Now, a couple 20 00:01:18,340 --> 00:01:21,580 years ago, I did a whole series of chapels through the whole 21 00:01:21,580 --> 00:01:24,480 semester on the Beatitudes. If you were here, some of you might 22 00:01:24,480 --> 00:01:27,680 remember the Ladder. Do you remember the Ladder? You remember 23 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:33,840 Baby Peach showing up? That was fun. But I can't do that whole 24 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,680 thing. But I'm going to give you a quick summary of it. But the 25 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:42,480 Beatitudes are really God's summary of his evaluation of our 26 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:49,680 value and worth in the world. It starts with blessed are blessed 27 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:55,630 are means to be approved. This you are approved of God. Blessed 28 00:01:55,790 --> 00:01:58,750 doesn't mean your life is going to be all happy and perfect 29 00:01:58,750 --> 00:02:01,550 and everything's going to line up and God's going to give you lots 30 00:02:01,550 --> 00:02:06,790 of good stuff. It means your life is aligned to God's calling 31 00:02:06,790 --> 00:02:10,350 and purpose. You know, one of the things I love about the south 32 00:02:10,350 --> 00:02:13,990 is a lot of times people just say, have a blessed day. Go to the 33 00:02:13,990 --> 00:02:16,550 grocery store, have a blessed day. Go to the bank, have a blessed 34 00:02:16,550 --> 00:02:21,800 day. And that's nice. And I know what they mean. Might good things 35 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,360 happen to you. But what if every time we heard that, that was 36 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:29,240 a good checkpoint to say, am I aligned with God's purpose? Because 37 00:02:29,240 --> 00:02:33,920 that's really what being blessed means. So have a blessed 38 00:02:33,920 --> 00:02:40,360 day means, is this day aligned with God's? Purpose. And in the Beatitudes, 39 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:44,040 where he said, blessed are those who are, and he gives us eight 40 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:50,200 standards of success. I just want to give them to you quickly. 41 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,680 And these are the paraphrase, because we don't have a whole series 42 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,400 of chapels to do on this. But blessed are those who are dependent 43 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:04,600 on God, and blessed are those who are broken by the cost of sin 44 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:11,930 and confident without ego driving them and hungry for what's 45 00:03:11,930 --> 00:03:17,650 right. Blessed are those who are merciful when others are not. 46 00:03:18,850 --> 00:03:24,890 Blessed are those who are guided by integrity. Blessed or aligned 47 00:03:24,890 --> 00:03:30,730 with God are those who are peacemakers, not agitators. And blessed 48 00:03:30,730 --> 00:03:38,280 are those who are faithful even when it costs. Jesus said, this 49 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:44,200 is the purpose of our calling. This is our job. These are the people 50 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:50,040 who are really successful, not the ones in a corner office getting 51 00:03:50,040 --> 00:03:55,600 a big salary. This is the standard of success. And then Jesus 52 00:03:55,600 --> 00:04:00,440 goes on to say, but just doing this being this is not alone. If 53 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:04,310 you don't do something with it, you've got to be engaged in the 54 00:04:04,310 --> 00:04:08,350 world. So right after he gives these eight Beatitudes, he says this 55 00:04:08,510 --> 00:04:12,110 on the Sermon on the Mount, he said, you are the salt of the earth, 56 00:04:12,670 --> 00:04:16,950 but what good is salt if it's lost its flavor? Can you make it 57 00:04:16,950 --> 00:04:23,550 salty again? It'll be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 58 00:04:24,430 --> 00:04:28,190 Then he goes on, you're also the light of the world. Like a city 59 00:04:28,190 --> 00:04:32,190 on a hilltop cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts 60 00:04:32,190 --> 00:04:35,510 it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand where it 61 00:04:35,510 --> 00:04:40,910 gives light to everyone in the house. You see, our calling goes 62 00:04:40,910 --> 00:04:48,110 way beyond our career. Our career may be a framework or an access 63 00:04:48,430 --> 00:04:52,550 point to the world, but our purpose and our calling is much more 64 00:04:52,550 --> 00:04:55,800 significant than that. And. And that is to be the salt of the 65 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:01,560 earth and to be the light of the world. Now, these are two different 66 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,760 images, but Jesus gives them together because they're really, 67 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:10,680 in many ways the same thing. Jesus gives also warnings with both 68 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:15,920 of these. And I just love the complexity of the metaphors Jesus 69 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:18,760 uses. Now, when he said to people, you're the salt of the earth, 70 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,010 they had all kinds of understanding of exactly what that 71 00:05:22,010 --> 00:05:25,890 meant. We don't, because salt doesn't mean that to us now. And 72 00:05:25,890 --> 00:05:28,170 he said, you're the light of the world, they had all kinds of 73 00:05:28,170 --> 00:05:33,010 understanding. Jesus could use these simple images and just project 74 00:05:33,730 --> 00:05:38,730 such truth into their lives. So he said, you're not only these 75 00:05:38,730 --> 00:05:42,970 things, but there's also a warning about being both of those 76 00:05:42,970 --> 00:05:48,430 things or not showing up to be those things. He says, you're the 77 00:05:48,430 --> 00:05:52,630 salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it's lost its flavor? 78 00:05:53,350 --> 00:05:56,310 You're the light of the world. A city set on a hilltop cannot be 79 00:05:56,310 --> 00:06:01,110 hidden, but no one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket. 80 00:06:02,549 --> 00:06:07,990 You see, salt was very valuable, very valuable. In that 81 00:06:07,990 --> 00:06:12,430 time. Salt was used like money. Often Roman soldiers were 82 00:06:12,430 --> 00:06:17,160 often paid by with salt, not with coin, because you could trade. 83 00:06:17,800 --> 00:06:21,160 Because salt was so valuable, you could trade it for other kinds 84 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:26,560 of things. And salt, Jesus says that's no longer distinct, goes 85 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:32,120 from being extremely valuable to worthless, absolutely worthless. 86 00:06:32,120 --> 00:06:36,360 Throw it away. He's talking here about the danger of assimilation. 87 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:41,240 Faith that blends in so completely with the world, it no 88 00:06:41,240 --> 00:06:45,290 longer flavors anything, no longer makes a difference. Where 89 00:06:45,290 --> 00:06:54,410 it's sprinkled is worthless, absolutely worthless. That's a pretty 90 00:06:55,050 --> 00:07:00,650 heavy mandate for what Jesus is calling us to do. And then he 91 00:07:00,650 --> 00:07:04,410 says, the light of the world is designed to be seen, not so you 92 00:07:04,410 --> 00:07:11,220 can see, but so everybody in the house can see. You see, faith 93 00:07:11,220 --> 00:07:17,420 that retreats into privacy, maybe to avoid it being costly, maybe 94 00:07:17,420 --> 00:07:25,340 to avoid paying attention, is worthless. Each fails the salt and 95 00:07:25,340 --> 00:07:28,980 the light in different ways, but the same outcome. Both result 96 00:07:29,060 --> 00:07:36,160 in a loss of influence and missing the purpose of why God made 97 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:41,840 us and why God builds us up in these eight beatitudes, not just 98 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:47,120 for our own sake, but so we can be salt and light to the world. 99 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:56,400 You see Jesus warning here in the Sermon on the Mount about faith 100 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:04,750 without impact, about belief without perseverance, about conviction 101 00:08:05,630 --> 00:08:10,190 without visibility, not because the world needs louder Christians. 102 00:08:10,190 --> 00:08:13,070 That's kind of the last thing they need is louder Christians. They 103 00:08:13,070 --> 00:08:19,030 need faithful Christians who will actually show up and make a 104 00:08:19,030 --> 00:08:25,190 difference in the environment they touch. Jesus links salt and 105 00:08:25,190 --> 00:08:30,700 light because both exist for the sake of other people. They don't 106 00:08:30,700 --> 00:08:33,780 exist for themselves. They exist for the sake of other people. 107 00:08:33,860 --> 00:08:38,300 They're only valuable when they're given away. They have absolutely 108 00:08:38,300 --> 00:08:45,220 no value if they're not given to others. There are three characteristics 109 00:08:45,380 --> 00:08:50,460 interesting about salt and light that they have in common. Verse 110 00:08:50,460 --> 00:08:56,150 is both are defined by function, not by appearance. You 111 00:08:56,150 --> 00:09:01,870 know, salt is valuable for what it does. Light is valuable because 112 00:09:01,870 --> 00:09:08,030 of what it reveals. And Jesus is teaching that discipleship is 113 00:09:08,030 --> 00:09:13,150 not primarily how faith looks, but how it functions in the world. 114 00:09:14,190 --> 00:09:18,430 What's the outcome? How does it actually operate in the world 115 00:09:18,510 --> 00:09:22,670 that you touch? That's why, again, I like he used salt and light 116 00:09:24,300 --> 00:09:28,220 metaphors because they're so bringing faith to the real world. 117 00:09:29,340 --> 00:09:34,300 Now, your expression of faith can look very different from mine. 118 00:09:34,300 --> 00:09:37,700 In fact, I hope it does, because if it does, you'll reach 119 00:09:37,700 --> 00:09:42,540 into places that I can't reach. And they can look very different 120 00:09:42,620 --> 00:09:47,380 as long as the outcome is to flavor the world and to light the 121 00:09:47,380 --> 00:09:51,230 path for others. I think there are some people who think, well, 122 00:09:51,230 --> 00:09:53,990 I can't really be that kind of a Christian because I can't be like 123 00:09:53,990 --> 00:09:57,630 them, or I can't be like them, or I can't be like them. You don't 124 00:09:57,630 --> 00:10:01,910 have to be like anybody else. The standards are the Beatitudes. 125 00:10:02,950 --> 00:10:06,550 The outcome is how you flavor the world, how you light the path. 126 00:10:07,830 --> 00:10:14,070 But faith that does nothing, Jesus is really clear is absolutely 127 00:10:14,570 --> 00:10:21,850 worthless. Throw out the salt. It's no good. Who hides a light under 128 00:10:22,250 --> 00:10:28,570 a basket? He says both salt and light are defined by function, 129 00:10:29,050 --> 00:10:36,370 not appearance. Second thing that we will see about them is, here 130 00:10:36,370 --> 00:10:42,280 we go. Both must engage their environment to matter. Salt has to 131 00:10:42,280 --> 00:10:50,240 be mixed in. Light has to be exposed. You see, isolation neutralizes 132 00:10:50,240 --> 00:10:54,120 both. And there are some people who live their Christian life 133 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:59,160 so fearful of the world that they isolate. And in doing so, you're 134 00:10:59,160 --> 00:11:03,240 missing God's calling and purpose. Are you fearful your faith 135 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:07,420 can't stand up to temptation? If you get out in the world, yeah, 136 00:11:07,420 --> 00:11:11,900 you're going to get tempted. That is going to happen. Are you 137 00:11:11,980 --> 00:11:14,980 worried that your faith can't stand up to questioning? If you get 138 00:11:14,980 --> 00:11:20,980 out in the world, yes, you're going to get questioned. Faith can't 139 00:11:20,980 --> 00:11:26,500 stand up to ridicule because you're different. Yes, you're going 140 00:11:26,500 --> 00:11:31,260 to get ridiculed. Jesus even talked about that straight up. But 141 00:11:31,260 --> 00:11:35,900 there's no purpose of our faith unless we're mixing it into 142 00:11:35,900 --> 00:11:40,460 the world. And Jesus is absolutely clear about this. We've 143 00:11:40,460 --> 00:11:45,300 got to be part of the world. Unused salt is absolutely pointless. 144 00:11:45,380 --> 00:11:50,300 And a light that's hidden contradicts its design. God designed 145 00:11:50,300 --> 00:11:53,620 you as a light to show the path for others. And if you hide 146 00:11:53,620 --> 00:11:57,020 that light, you're going completely against God's design for 147 00:11:57,020 --> 00:12:03,630 your life. This warning he gives is really sharp. Faith that 148 00:12:03,630 --> 00:12:09,350 remains private or inactive is a failure of our calling. It's a 149 00:12:09,350 --> 00:12:14,910 missing of our purpose. You may say, well, you know, I just want 150 00:12:14,910 --> 00:12:17,910 to be a really devout Christian and not push my faith on 151 00:12:17,910 --> 00:12:21,590 anybody. And yeah, don't go preach in our faiths. We don't need 152 00:12:21,590 --> 00:12:24,870 any of that. You know, don't point out their faults. That's not 153 00:12:24,870 --> 00:12:32,870 your job. It's obnoxious. But isolated. Faith is useless in God's 154 00:12:32,870 --> 00:12:37,590 standard of success. So, yes, you want to build up your life so 155 00:12:37,590 --> 00:12:41,190 it's strong enough to interact with the world, but then you've finally 156 00:12:41,190 --> 00:12:46,830 got to go. Both must engage their environment to be of any matter. 157 00:12:47,870 --> 00:12:50,390 And then we see the third characteristic they have in common 158 00:12:50,390 --> 00:12:54,430 is both transformation without drawing attention to themselves. 159 00:12:55,950 --> 00:13:01,030 Salt changes the flavor of things substantially. But after a 160 00:13:01,030 --> 00:13:04,470 great meal, you don't push back the plate and go, man, I love 161 00:13:04,470 --> 00:13:08,510 that salt. That was really good. No, you didn't even mention 162 00:13:08,510 --> 00:13:13,510 the salt. The salt's what gave it all flavor, but it wasn't the 163 00:13:13,510 --> 00:13:19,390 focus. You see, it transforms the meal without being the focus. 164 00:13:19,790 --> 00:13:25,820 Light reveals simply by being present. People don't look at the 165 00:13:25,820 --> 00:13:30,140 light. They look at the path. I'm looking at these bright lights 166 00:13:30,140 --> 00:13:33,540 up here. They're driving me nuts. Every time I get up here, you 167 00:13:33,540 --> 00:13:38,540 don't see those lights. You see what it lights up. The focus 168 00:13:38,620 --> 00:13:44,860 is on the function, not on the salt or the light. Jesus is describing 169 00:13:45,180 --> 00:13:49,980 a life of influence, not trying to control. Describing a life 170 00:13:49,980 --> 00:13:57,260 of service, not ego. Probably one of my most important mentors 171 00:13:57,260 --> 00:14:07,340 in my life. He has a Leighton Ford, and Leighton has a. He's 92 172 00:14:07,340 --> 00:14:11,620 now. I think Leighton has a theme for his life and ministry. 173 00:14:11,620 --> 00:14:17,240 He says, I want to be a friend on the journey. A friend on the journey. 174 00:14:18,440 --> 00:14:23,040 That's salt and light. I want to be a friend on your journey of 175 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:28,240 faith. I want to be a friend wherever your journey is. That's 176 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:34,360 salt and light. It transforms without drawing attention to itself. 177 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:41,890 Salt really forgotten after the meal's over. Light's pretty much 178 00:14:41,890 --> 00:14:46,090 unnoticed. Once everybody sees clearly, you see the end goal is 179 00:14:46,090 --> 00:14:49,570 the same. To glorify your Father in heaven, the scripture says. 180 00:14:50,770 --> 00:14:56,530 And so the question Jesus is asking us to evaluate your resume 181 00:14:56,530 --> 00:15:01,890 or standard of success that he's giving. I think they come down 182 00:15:01,890 --> 00:15:05,290 to three questions as I study salt and light. So let me give them 183 00:15:05,290 --> 00:15:11,320 to you. First, is this. Do you give off enough light to create contrast? 184 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:19,920 Do you change the flavor enough to be of value? See, light 185 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,800 only matters in darkness. If it's light outside and you turn another 186 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,920 light on, it doesn't really make any difference, does it? But 187 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,440 when it's dark, it makes all the difference in the world. Salt 188 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:35,970 only matters if it's present, but if it's absent, it makes all 189 00:15:35,970 --> 00:15:43,730 the difference in the world. Sunday was Super Bowl 60. I hope 190 00:15:43,730 --> 00:15:46,890 some of you watched it. Good game. If you like defensive football. 191 00:15:48,410 --> 00:15:54,330 I watched my first super bowl when I was 15 years old. It was a 192 00:15:54,330 --> 00:15:58,980 year after the jets beat the Colts, which nobody thought could 193 00:15:58,980 --> 00:16:02,980 ever happen because the Colts had the famous number one quarterback 194 00:16:02,980 --> 00:16:08,060 ever, Johnny Unitis. And the jets had this upstart quarterback 195 00:16:08,060 --> 00:16:13,140 from Alabama named Joe Namath, who promised the week before the 196 00:16:13,140 --> 00:16:16,460 game, we will win. The thing was, there were two separate football 197 00:16:16,460 --> 00:16:19,380 leagues at that time. They weren't the NFL, they were two separate 198 00:16:19,380 --> 00:16:23,580 leagues. And the jets were in what was considered the inferior 199 00:16:23,580 --> 00:16:28,520 league. The Colts were the big league, and the jets won. Well, after 200 00:16:28,520 --> 00:16:32,920 that, the super bowl became famous. So I counted it up during 201 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:37,000 the game and I've watched 56 Super Bowls. That's a lot of Super 202 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:42,520 Bowls. But I have kind of a tradition of Super Bowl. I like to 203 00:16:42,520 --> 00:16:47,480 get something special to eat. And last few years it's been chips 204 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,780 and salsa. I don't know why, maybe because I've tried to watch 205 00:16:50,780 --> 00:16:56,100 what I eat and I just don't go crazy with a big bag of corn chips 206 00:16:56,100 --> 00:16:59,020 very often. But at super bowl you can do whatever you want. So 207 00:16:59,820 --> 00:17:03,100 game was ready to start. I'd run into Whole Foods real quick. 208 00:17:03,580 --> 00:17:10,940 I saw the restaurant style chips like you get at a really good 209 00:17:10,940 --> 00:17:13,740 Mexican restaurant. I thought, that's exactly what I want. Grabbed 210 00:17:13,740 --> 00:17:16,460 it, checked it out. It's the only thing I bought. Took it home 211 00:17:17,149 --> 00:17:20,829 day before the game, game's ready to start, kickoff's ready to 212 00:17:20,829 --> 00:17:23,549 start. I got my chips there, I got my salsa, Diet Coke, I'm ready 213 00:17:23,549 --> 00:17:30,389 to go. I open the bag, taste the first one. I spit it out, and 214 00:17:30,389 --> 00:17:37,909 I looked at the bag and it said, no salt. Heartbroken. My super 215 00:17:37,909 --> 00:17:43,460 bowl was ruined. Why watch the game of that? It's terrible. No salt. 216 00:17:43,460 --> 00:17:50,260 They tasted terrible. Who would eat that? Oh, boy. When you 217 00:17:50,260 --> 00:17:57,020 put salt on the exact same chip, they're fabulous. You see, 218 00:17:57,020 --> 00:18:02,860 faith that doesn't show up is really harmful. Faith that doesn't 219 00:18:02,860 --> 00:18:09,640 show up tastes terrible to people around you. Faith that doesn't 220 00:18:09,640 --> 00:18:16,280 show up leaves others in the dark. Faith that doesn't show up 221 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:22,920 stops influencing. Do you give off enough light to create contrast? 222 00:18:24,599 --> 00:18:29,640 Do you change the flavor enough to be evaluated? Good evaluation 223 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:34,400 questions when it comes to the standard of success Jesus has. Second 224 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:40,710 questions. Do you help others to see the right path? And does your 225 00:18:40,710 --> 00:18:46,870 addition preserve or decay? If you're going to shine a light for 226 00:18:46,870 --> 00:18:50,390 people, don't shine it in their eyes. There are a lot of Christians 227 00:18:50,390 --> 00:18:53,270 who do that. I'm going to point out your sins to you. I'm going 228 00:18:53,270 --> 00:18:57,870 to shine this light straight in your eyes. No. First of all, it's 229 00:18:57,870 --> 00:19:02,450 obnoxious. Second of all, it's not biblical. And third, conviction 230 00:19:02,450 --> 00:19:05,210 is the job of the Holy Spirit. Don't take the Holy Spirit's job 231 00:19:05,210 --> 00:19:10,250 from them. It's not your job. Your job is to light the path. Light 232 00:19:10,250 --> 00:19:14,810 the path. Don't shine the light in their eyes. It's not an 233 00:19:15,530 --> 00:19:22,650 examination of a prisoner of war thing. The light is to illuminate 234 00:19:22,650 --> 00:19:29,660 the way for people not to try to expose them. Salt preserves what 235 00:19:29,660 --> 00:19:32,620 otherwise would decay. See, in those days, they didn't have refrigeration. 236 00:19:32,940 --> 00:19:36,660 There were no refrigerators. There was no air conditioning, which 237 00:19:36,660 --> 00:19:40,660 we had a little bit more, but there was none of that. So what did 238 00:19:40,660 --> 00:19:46,220 they use to make things last? They used salt. Salt preserved it, 239 00:19:46,220 --> 00:19:50,060 slowed corruption, didn't preserve it forever, but it slowed 240 00:19:50,060 --> 00:19:55,230 the corruption. Being salt means resisting to the moral drift 241 00:19:56,190 --> 00:20:02,390 of the world around us. Not loudly, just consistently, not in 242 00:20:02,390 --> 00:20:09,150 a way that brings attention to you, but just builds things up. Integrity 243 00:20:10,030 --> 00:20:15,310 when cutting corners would be easy. Honesty when nobody else is 244 00:20:15,310 --> 00:20:25,160 checking. Faithfulness in the small, unseen decisions. Both cost 245 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:30,000 something to be salt and light cost something. Light shining out 246 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:35,520 others for their needs means you've got to be plugged into the 247 00:20:35,520 --> 00:20:39,880 source of the light. Or you got to keep your batteries recharged, 248 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:42,400 or you won't be able to provide the light because the light 249 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:48,490 will go out. Salt dissolves to do its best work. Being salt often 250 00:20:48,490 --> 00:20:52,650 means it's an inconvenience. It means creating a misunderstanding. 251 00:20:52,650 --> 00:20:58,530 At times, it means quiet sacrifice. But Jesus said, you are 252 00:20:59,410 --> 00:21:04,370 the salt of the earth. Well, you know, I think so often as you 253 00:21:04,370 --> 00:21:09,410 look at people and you look in this image of salt, which either 254 00:21:09,810 --> 00:21:13,210 preserves or decays, People really fall into two categories. 255 00:21:13,210 --> 00:21:21,970 Are you a preserver? Are you to care? Do you protect and strengthen 256 00:21:21,970 --> 00:21:26,370 the places where you interact in your life, or do you make things 257 00:21:26,370 --> 00:21:35,690 deteriorate? Salt preserves, but it costs faith. That never costs 258 00:21:35,690 --> 00:21:41,000 us anything. Is probably not lighting much, and it's not preserving 259 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:46,800 very much. Well, the third set of questions. Do you light up where 260 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:54,320 you are now, and does your faith mix in where you are now? You 261 00:21:54,320 --> 00:21:56,560 may look at those questions and go, no, not really. But when 262 00:21:56,560 --> 00:21:58,560 I get out of here, when I graduate, I'm going to really make 263 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:02,800 a difference. That's not what scripture says. Scripture says you 264 00:22:02,800 --> 00:22:06,520 are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth. You 265 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:13,220 are you. Each one of us, not all y', all, but you, each one of 266 00:22:13,220 --> 00:22:18,940 us are called into this responsibility. He says, you are. 267 00:22:18,940 --> 00:22:22,260 That's not future tense. That's present tense. You are the 268 00:22:22,260 --> 00:22:28,020 light of the world. Our is now, not just someday. And he Illustrates 269 00:22:28,020 --> 00:22:32,780 that by saying, you are a city set on a hill. What does that mean, 270 00:22:32,780 --> 00:22:38,430 a city can't move? A city's light is where it is, and it's got 271 00:22:38,430 --> 00:22:42,030 a light there. You can't just say, I don't want to wait until I 272 00:22:42,030 --> 00:22:49,550 light someplace else. No, you got a light right there. That's our 273 00:22:49,550 --> 00:22:53,070 responsibility. There's a light wherever we are. Salt is to 274 00:22:53,070 --> 00:23:00,800 be a preserver and a flavor adder right where we are. A lump 275 00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:06,160 of salt alone is horrible. I think the worst thing, if I have 276 00:23:06,160 --> 00:23:08,320 a sore throat or something. I just hate it when the doctor says, 277 00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:11,320 you got to gargle with salt water. Like, no, anything but that. 278 00:23:11,320 --> 00:23:13,920 Please, give me a pill, give me a shot, but don't make me gargle 279 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:16,880 with salt water. I hate the taste of that. It's too much salt. 280 00:23:17,600 --> 00:23:22,560 And too much salt by itself does nothing. It's got to be mixed 281 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:26,880 in. Followers of Jesus are called to be a faithful presence, 282 00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:31,100 blending in and making a difference. In classes and residence 283 00:23:31,100 --> 00:23:39,380 halls, on teams at your work, bringing influence, influence that's 284 00:23:39,380 --> 00:23:47,940 built on your faith. Christian influence happens by purposeful connection. 285 00:23:48,980 --> 00:23:55,550 Purposeful connection. You have to look for places to have influence 286 00:23:55,710 --> 00:24:02,070 and to serve. I want to tell you a story. I told it a couple years 287 00:24:02,070 --> 00:24:04,590 in chapel. So if you've been around here a while, you've heard 288 00:24:04,590 --> 00:24:11,110 this one before. But it was so impactful in my life. I not only 289 00:24:11,110 --> 00:24:14,190 told it in chapel, I've told it to all the faculty and staff. 290 00:24:14,350 --> 00:24:18,990 I wrote it in a book that I published because it was such a significant 291 00:24:19,310 --> 00:24:25,320 moment for me. I was at Kroger. Now in my house, I've always 292 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,800 done the grocery shopping ever since we got married. So much work 293 00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,880 to put it all away and make the list and all that stuff. So Mary 294 00:24:31,880 --> 00:24:35,960 Lou does all that stuff. She's terrific at it. But I go get it. 295 00:24:36,680 --> 00:24:40,040 And one day I was at the grocery store, and my daughter Madison 296 00:24:40,520 --> 00:24:46,930 went with me. And it was busy. Like, super busy. And so we got in 297 00:24:46,930 --> 00:24:49,410 the line, waited, waited, waited, waited. Got up to the front, 298 00:24:49,890 --> 00:24:52,930 and something was messed up in the cart. I kind of forget what it 299 00:24:52,930 --> 00:24:55,970 was now. But they didn't charge me the right thing. And I 300 00:24:55,970 --> 00:25:04,170 was really frustrated, really frustrated. And I kind of said more 301 00:25:04,170 --> 00:25:13,100 than I should have to the checkout person. And I could tell 302 00:25:13,100 --> 00:25:24,900 she wasn't happy, she wasn't crying. It wasn't good. And we kind 303 00:25:24,900 --> 00:25:28,420 of made it through. And we're going out to the car and we're putting 304 00:25:28,420 --> 00:25:36,660 stuff in the car. Madison says, dad, I love you, but you just 305 00:25:36,660 --> 00:25:45,150 look past the people in the aprons. You don't even respond to 306 00:25:45,150 --> 00:25:51,030 the people in the aprons. They're working hard. They're just 307 00:25:51,030 --> 00:25:55,189 trying to make it, dad, you've got to be nicer to the people in 308 00:25:55,189 --> 00:25:59,710 the aprons. And I had horror in my heart at that moment because 309 00:25:59,790 --> 00:26:07,000 I had never even noticed the aprons, the people who serve in those 310 00:26:07,000 --> 00:26:13,400 places, they all have aprons. I made a commitment in that moment. 311 00:26:13,800 --> 00:26:17,800 I'm looking for people in aprons, and when I do, I'm going 312 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:21,600 to brighten their life. I'm going to encourage them, I'm going 313 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,880 to talk to them, I'm going to ask them how they're doing, not just 314 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:29,360 how their job's doing. And I've had some, through the subsequent 315 00:26:29,360 --> 00:26:33,270 time, had some of the most pleasant interactions in line at 316 00:26:33,270 --> 00:26:39,030 Kroger, because I'm purposely looking for people in aprons to share 317 00:26:39,030 --> 00:26:45,790 just a little bit of joy, a little bit of love, and to build 318 00:26:45,790 --> 00:26:53,030 up their life, not tear it down. Wherever God has you, you're 319 00:26:53,030 --> 00:26:57,030 to be salt and light. Because wherever God has you right now is 320 00:26:57,030 --> 00:27:00,180 where you need it the most, even if it's in the checkout line 321 00:27:00,180 --> 00:27:06,940 at Kroger. You see, this was the bottom line of success for Jesus. 322 00:27:07,980 --> 00:27:12,100 He said, you're the salt of the earth. You're the light of the 323 00:27:12,100 --> 00:27:19,100 world. Be salt that changes the taste of everything. Be light 324 00:27:19,180 --> 00:27:23,940 so others can see their path. Not that they're going to be impressed 325 00:27:23,940 --> 00:27:27,740 with you, because Jesus makes this very clear. Because look at 326 00:27:27,740 --> 00:27:33,620 how this passage ends. In the same way, let your good deeds shine 327 00:27:33,620 --> 00:27:37,940 out for all to see so that everyone will praise your Heavenly 328 00:27:38,420 --> 00:27:43,460 Father. The purpose of being salt and light is not to bring attention 329 00:27:43,460 --> 00:27:47,140 to you and say, oh, isn't he so nice? Isn't he really wonderful? 330 00:27:47,780 --> 00:27:53,350 No, it's to honor God by your good deeds. May God be lifted up 331 00:27:54,790 --> 00:27:59,790 so that people will experience the love of Jesus in small ways or 332 00:27:59,790 --> 00:28:05,350 in big ways wherever you interact. And when you do, you will 333 00:28:05,350 --> 00:28:12,030 be shocked at how God uses you. Well, I hope on Thursday you 334 00:28:12,030 --> 00:28:19,190 have a great career fair. But this is successful by heavenly standards. 335 00:28:20,630 --> 00:28:25,030 And when you achieve at this level, you will be amazed at what 336 00:28:25,030 --> 00:28:29,310 God will do. Because the truth of our benediction verse we're going 337 00:28:29,310 --> 00:28:35,150 to say together is so real. If you will be salt and light, no eye 338 00:28:35,150 --> 00:28:40,710 is seen, no ear is heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared 339 00:28:40,870 --> 00:28:44,790 for those who love him. God bless. Have a good day. Get outside 340 00:28:44,790 --> 00:28:46,390 where it's a little cooler than here.