A Formula For Impacting Our World Series

Introduction:

A. As you know, I like to start my sermons with something interesting or humerous, so I decided to start today’s sermon with a funny story about a science chemistry experiment gone wrong.

1. So, I started searching online, thinking surely there must be some great stories out there.

a. I stumbled on one that didn’t have a lot of details, which would have made it funnier, but I guess during one demonstration, the teacher accidentally made Nitrous oxide, N2O, also known as laughing gas.

b. Can you imagine the scene in that classroom as the gas began to take effect on the teacher, and then as it spread to the entire class - it must have been a very funny scene.

2. Other than the story of a guy who was carrying a beaker full of acid and somebody asked him for the time...all the other stories were very serious ones.

3. There were countless stories of serious explosions and students being badly burned.

4. So, I guess the subject of high school chemistry experiments gone bad is not a funny subject.

B. In the same way, it is not funny to use the wrong formula for spiritually impacting our world.

1. That is certainly a formula we want to get right - Am I right about that?

2. In our present sermon series, we are talking about being mission minded disciples of Jesus.

3. We’ve been talking about how much lost souls matter to God and therefore should matter to us.

4. Last week we talked about the fact that trying to reach out to people will be costly – it will require time, effort, preparation and the potential for rejection, or even persecution.

5. But in the face of these costs, we determined that the benefits far outweigh the costs.

6. Those benefits will be realized by us, who are engaged in God’s mission, by those who are the recipients of our efforts, and by God himself as He glories in our efforts and the results.

C. Today, we want to turn our attention to a formula for impacting our world with the Gospel.

1. God has not only given us a goal, He has also given us a methodology for reaching that goal.

2. The methodology is not given to us in great detail, rather it is given to us in the form of two illustrations.

3. Look again with me at Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:13-16,

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

4. Here’s how Eugene Peterson paraphrases these verses in The Message:

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (The Message, by Eugene Peterson)

D. In the simplest of terms, Jesus tells us that we, His followers, are salt and light.

1. To put that in terms of a formula, it would look like this: SALT + LIGHT = IMPACT

2. Why did Jesus choose those two metaphors to describe our mission?

3. First of all, they are so common and universal that everyone would understand them.

4. And second, they are clear and memorable illustrations.

I. The Sermon from SALT.

A. So, what can we learn from salt? What does salt do that is so important?

B. First of all, Salt makes things taste better - It is a seasoning.

1. I know that we feel a little bit guilty every time we reach for the saltshaker, because too much salt can affect our blood pressure in a negative way.