Title: Making a Difference
Text: Matthew 5:13-20
Thesis: We make Christ known by being present and active in the world… by making a difference.
Epiphany Series: Encountering Christ in Epiphany
The First Sunday of Epiphany we encountered Christ at his baptism.
• The First Sunday after Epiphany we encountered Christ at his baptism where God reveals to Jesus and to us who He (Jesus) is. “This is my Son, whom I love, and with whom I am very pleased.” Matthew 3:17
On the Second Sunday after Epiphany, we encountered Christ at a wedding.
• The Second Sunday after Epiphany we encounter Christ at a wedding where he performed the first of many miracles that would follow. “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed his glory and his disciples put their faith in him.” John 2:13
On the Third Sunday after Epiphany we encounter Christ walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee.
• On the Third Sunday after Epiphany we encountered Christ walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee where he saw fishermen going about their business of fishing. So, he called out to them. Jesus said, “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him. Matthew 4:12-23
On the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany we encounter Christ on a mountainside.
• On the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany we encounter Christ seated on a mountainside with his teaching disciples. “Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying…”
On the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany we hear Jesus instructing his followers to live in such a way as to glorify God and bless others.
• The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany Christ instructs his followers to make him known to the world. “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16
Introduction
Good Housekeeping Magazine cites the five most common things people notice when they visit someone’s home. If you were to unexpectedly drop by our home the first thing you would notice is that I wouldn’t let you in. Bonnie and I are not comfortable with your seeing examples of our five most common things. But here’s the list of the five most common things people will notice if they visit your home. (“Five Things People Notice,” Good Housekeeping, November 2006, P. 42)
1. Guests in your home will notice if there is mail laying around. We live in a townhome and when you enter our home you are in the living room which adjoins the dining area which is adjacent to the kitchen. An island divides the dining area from the kitchen area. I place the mail on the corner of that island so a stack of mail would pretty much be the first thing you would see.
2. Guests in your home will notice dust bunnies and cobwebs. I guess the implication is that typical guests sneak off to peak under beds and peer into the corners and recesses of your home in search of dust bunnies and cobwebs.
3. Guests in your home will notice a messy bathroom. There is nothing quite like looking into a toothpaste spattered mirror or washing your hands in a gunky sink.
4. Guests will notice dirty dishes in the sink. That’s why you are supposed to put them in the oven.
5. Guests will notice full to over flowing trash cans. We keep a trash can that works well with a plastic grocery bag so when it is full you just pull the bag and insert a new one and we’re good for a couple of days. But occasionally we overestimate how much a grocery bag can hold and the result isn’t always pretty. Don’t look under our sink because you might not be favorably impressed.
So we know that even if people are not deliberately checking out our homes they will see stuff if they visit. So I think it is safe to assume that the people we encounter will check us out and see the stuff of our lives as well. So what do we want people to see when they see us?
The very first thing Jesus teaches his followers is that we are to make a positive impression on those who observe our lives.
This morning we see that Jesus gives his followers and identity.
I. The Follower’s of Christ are given an Identity.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13 and 14
Jesus, using the literary device that we call a metaphor, identifies us as salt and light. He said, “You are the salt of the earth.” And he said, “You are the light of the world.”
We are salt and salt is to be savored. We are light and light is to be seen. The presence of both is apparent as is the absence of either.
We are salt. We are light. Knowing that we are salt and light is supposed to give us a clue into who and what we really are and hopefully that knowledge will affect the way we live.
In his book Leaving Home, Garrison Keillor tells a fictional story about a family from Lake Wobegon, Minnesota. Grace Tollefson married Alex Campbell back in the 1930s, a man who turned out to be a ne’er-do-well. They had three kids—Earl, Marlys, and Walter. One day Alex left Grace. Penniless, she was forced to move back home to live off the kindness of folks there, enduring the relentless "I-told-you-so’s" of her mother. It was humiliating. But one day they got a letter from a man in Philadelphia doing research on Scottish nobility, who asked who their ancestors were so he could look it up. Grace wrote the man back and a few days later another letter came in the mail. Though the envelope was addressed to Mrs. Grace Campbell, the letter was addressed to "Your Royal Highness." In the letter the man wrote: "Today is the happiest day of my life as I greet my one true Sovereign Queen." He went on to say that their branch of the Campbell family was first in the line of succession of the House of Steward, the Royal Family of Scotland.
Can you imagine that… the Royal Family of Scotland living in Lake Wobegon in a green mobile home furnished with furniture donated by the good people at the Lutheran church?
They were astounded beyond words. Here they were in their same dismal place but everything had changed. They were different people. Their surroundings were the same, but they were different. They were Scottish royalty.
Years later, the youngest son, Walter, found out the whole business was a fraud. But he never told his mother or his brother and sister, because thinking you are royalty, whether anyone else knows it or not, changes a person. At the end of the story, Grace is much older, and she says to her son: Oh, Walter, what would I do without you? You’re so strong. You’re so good to me. You’re a prince, you know. (Garrison Keillor, Leaving Home, Viking Press, 1987, pp. 140-141, 145)
Grace and Earl, Marlys and Walter were changed when they found out who they were. So when Jesus told his followers they were salt and light, they were suddenly aware of their new identity and the importance of their living up to and living out that identity.
We are not the scum bags and ne’er-do-wells of the world. We do not reflect the under-belly of our culture. We are not known as the deadbeats and freeloaders of our society. We are the very presence of God permeating every place with the tasty savor of salt and the warmth of light.
Not only did Jesus give his followers an identity, with that identity came a sphere of influence.
II. The Followers of Christ are given a Sphere of Influence.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.” Matthew 5:13-14
Jesus said his followers are the salt of the “earth” and the light of the “world.”
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the fifth largest of the eight planets in our Solar System. We sometimes refer to Earth as the World. It is also known as the Blue Planet because when viewed from outer space the fact that 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water. Earth is home to millions of species including humans and is the only astronomical body where life is known to exist and is expected to continue to support life for another five-hundred million years.
The earths land surface is 196,935,000 square miles. The remaining 70% of the surface of the earth is ocean. There are one hundred ninety-three internationally recognized sovereign states in the world and nearly seven billion people live on planet Earth.
We believe God created all things and that God sustains all things. We believe that God cares for all of creation. But when Jesus said in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world…” he was not referring to the planet. When we say God loves the world we understand that to mean God loves the people of the world.
So when Jesus told his followers that they / we are the salt and light of the world he did not mean we are the salt and light to the oceans and mountains and deserts and plains and forests and swamps and rivers and lakes. He meant, his followers are salt and light to the people of the planet.
While we may save the whales and save the spotted owls and the rivers and streams – our task is to save the people of the world… to be salt and light to people.
There are many kinds of influence. In March of 1958 a young politician in his 40’s by the name of Jack Kennedy was in the national spotlight. Previously his father had been skewered by the press for purportedly having attempted to use his family money and influence to win the election. Before giving a speech Jack Kennedy reached into his pocket and pulled out a telegram he said he had just received from his father. He opened it and began to read, “Dear Jack. Don’t buy a single vote more than is necessary, I’ll be darned if I’m going to pay for a landslide.”
However, the influence Jesus was talking about was not political in nature – something of which some of his followers are apparently unaware. The influence of which Jesus spoke was spiritual in nature and where ever his followers are on the planet and with whomever we find ourselves – that is our sphere of influence. Among whomever we find ourselves we are to be salt and light… making life better and brighter. In our sphere of influence we make Christ known by thinking, acting and speaking as the presence of Christ in the world.
Along with an identity as salt and light and the world as a sphere of influence, Jesus anticipates that his followers make a difference in the world… that we have an impact.
III. The Follower’s of Christ are to have an Impact.
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
I don’t think any of us realize what the world we live in would be like were it not for the presence and influence of Christians over the centuries. Christians have been at the heart of human rights issues and are recognized for having been strong advocates against slavery. Christians are at the heart in opposition to abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and apartheid. Christian activists condemned the brutal sport of gladiatorial games. Christians have built hospitals and hospices. Christians have championed women’s rights. Christians have initiated education and built schools. Christians have produced great works of literature and art. Christians were pioneers in science despite the opposition of the church at times. Christians compose brilliant music. Christians have been at the forefront in advocating human rights and concern for the poor. Christians have been the impetus for missional endeavors that have brought the light and life and love of Christ to the people living in the darkest places on the planet Earth.
Jesus said, “Live and love and do good in the world so that people will be blessed and God will be praised.”
There is no place for bad press about Christians in the world. Christians are to live in such a way as to gain the respect of those who observe their lives.
1. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds.
Doing good deeds is a good thing and benefiting and blessing others is the point. In nearly all of Christ’s miracles his actions reflected two things: Christ’s compassion for people and his desire to bring glory to God.
I recently plopped down and watched an episode of King of Queens. Doug and Carrie Heffernon were meeting with their income tax preparer. When they got to the part where they were to report their charitable donations they were starkly reminded that they had not given anything to anyone and they felt terrible. So they resolved to change all that… Doug’s co-worker, Deacon, came by with his little boy who was selling candy bars to raise money for the school library. So they bought a candy bar. As the plot unfolded Doug and Carrie decided they really wanted to do something significant for the school library so they donated $500. As donors they then were invited to a reception celebrating the money raised for the school library.
Seeing the donor’s tree they scooted over to see their names on the tree. They looked among the tiers of donors… they were not named among the Library Friends where their $500 gift should have placed them. Instead they found their name among the Affiliates who donated $50 or less.
This of course set off a whole new series of scenarios in order to get their name put among the Library Friends and in doing so the hapless librarian reported that they gave $5,000 rather than $500 and the school renamed the library, “The Doug and Carrie Heffernon Memorial Library.” Doing good is good… doing good to get name recognition is not what Jesus had in mind.
2. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Years ago, one summer our daughter spent part of the summer on a semi-pro volleyball team touring the Ukraine playing teams and sharing their faith along the way. But before leaving on that tour she volunteered at Twin Lakes Christian Center in Iowa.
While she was there the camp celebrated what they called Big Sunday and people from the Iowa churches that supported the camp went up for a big meal and to celebrate what God had done that year. While there, the wife of the camp director sought Bonnie and me out, introduced herself to us and explained how she wanted to see what kind of people were responsible for raising such a delightful young woman.
Of course Bonnie and I were very proud parents at that particular moment… but this is the point. What Jesus said was this… live in such a way that when people observe our lives they want to meet the Father who has influenced us to be who and what we are.
It is Jesus’ desire that his followers accomplish two things as a result of being salt and light to the world. He wants us to:
1. Do good deeds that benefit and bless people.
2. Do good deeds that prompt praise and thanksgiving for God.
Jesus anticipates that his followers will make a difference where ever they are… that we will be observed doing good things that help people and reflect favorably on God.
Conclusion
In closing let me tell you a story. In January of 2006, author Randy Alcorn was with the family of Jim Elliot for a dinner that marked the 50th anniversary of the martyrdom of Jim Elliot and four other missionaries in Ecuador.
Randy wrote of meeting Jim Elliot’s older brother, Bert, and his wife Colleen. In 1949, years before Jim Elliot went to Ecuador, they became missionaries to Peru, South America. They were in their sixtieth year as missionaries and they could not wait to get back to the people they loved and served in Peru. Randy had never heard of Bert and Colleen. But as they talked Randy heard Bert explain something that he said he would never forget. Bert said, “Jim and I both served Christ, but differently. Jim was a great meteor, streaking through the sky.” Bert did not go on to describe himself but Randy did.
Randy said that unlike his streaking meteor brother, Jim Elliot, Bert is a faint star that rises night after night after night, faithfully shining in a little known and faraway place.
Though some are, most people and most churches are not meteors streaking across the sky and getting the attention of star gazers. Most of Christ’s followers and most of Christ’s churches are Bert and Colleen Elliots who faithfully come out every night to be light in the place they are. We are e called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
So may it be with each of us… “You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world!”
