PEOPLE THAT INFLUENCE THIS WORLD
Matt 5:13-16 (page 683) May 30, 2010
INTRODUCTION:
I came into my office Monday, went to check out my email and under the headings that scroll by was… "Believe it or not, celebrities are fat and zitty like the rest of us."
Well since I'm talking about people who influence this world I felt it was essential for my research to click on it.
And No I'm not going to show you the unflattering pictures of Faith Hill, Jouli Josber or the Argentineans president who demanded they remove his spare tire from a picture taken of him in a canoe.
But celebrities seem to have a secret weapon to fight flab and flaws that we mere mortals don't. It's called "Airbrushing" It's also called Photo shopping, retouching and its when a photo is digitally manipulated to make the subject look better. They can magically remove pimples, shave pounds, add color…One magazine insider said the practice is so common that you can assume that any posed photo you see in a magazine has been altered in one way or another.
But we have to ask ourselves if we had the same opportunity --the same celebrity power to retouch the photos of our lives…. would we do so..?
Wouldn't each of us deserve to present a perfect picture of ourselves to the world if we had the opportunity?
And yet Jesus lets us know as His followers, His disciples "You are the salt of the earth…you are the light of the world" It’s a statement letting us know that the picture we present to this world will greatly influence how people see God's Kingdom.
[George Barna writes " The majority of Americans claim to be Christians, most adults in this country say they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their lives and nearly half are relatively active church goers. The size and scope of Christianity in America is massive-- It leaves an enormous footprint in the culture, but the depth of most Christian's faith leaves much to be desired. And there are so many flavors under the marquee Christianity that Baskin Robbins would be envious.]
The problem is that the organized Christian Church in American is on the decline…Barna says this is especially true among 16 to 29 years old….where 40% of this age group say they have no interest in the organized church or Christianity.
And before you say "Well they'd better straighten up or they can go to hell." We need to realize it impacts every age group. 37% of 29-41 year olds are unchured, 27% of people aged 42-60 are outside of Christ and 23% of those over 60 are disinterested in Christianity.
Christians are supposed to represent an authentic picture of Christ to the world, but according to the latest reports something has gone terribly wrong. In the book unchristian the author interviewed 1,000's of individuals from every age group and the top 3 words they used to describe Christians; Hypocritcal insensitive, and judgemental.
"You are the salt of the earth", "You are the light of the world" is our manculate from Jesus himself but many in our culture believe we've airbrushed the picture and they're not buying it.
So, O.K. why should we care…..after all
I JESUS WARNED THAT THE WORLD WOULD HATE US.
John 15:18 records his words…"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first."
When you have an unchanging moral standard it will grate against a culture whose morals are relative to the moment and the selection.
Christians are labeled judgemental because we address sin and its consequences. And Christians should be envolved in every arena of life, including politics because faith weaves itself into every aspect of our lives. Christians should use God's word as the litmus test for morally unacceptable behavior. And we should seek to be men and women of integrity, even if it grates against a "whatever you think is right is right society."
We are indeed Christ's representatives among people…salt to the earth..light to the world…and we carry life's most important message.
But the real problem occurs when we recognize God's holiness and airbrush" our unholiness. Truth is vital, but for us "Grace is just as vital
Jesus represented both truth and grace.
"The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only who came from the Father full
of grace and truth" (John 1:14)
Demanding truth without extending grace leads to harsh legalism, just as grace extended without truth dissolves into moral compromise.
If the world hates us because we are teaching truth while embodying the compassion, humility, forgiveness and kindness of Jesus Christ… we're living as salt and light.
But the world looks at many of us, as unchurched Christians. We pretend to be without spiritual zits and flares.
And that my friends is a serious problem. and its our problem…not theirs.
II HYPOCRISY DARKENS THE LIGHT AND REMOVES THE FLAVOR FROM SALT.
Jesus said hypocrisy puts up spiritual barriers. And it's most acute when a religion is a dominant part of culture, not on the fringe…much like Christianity in America.
During the time of Jesus's walk on earth it was the religious people who were viewed as hypocrites and Jesus saves his sharpest rebukes for "airbrushed" self righteous individuals.
"Outwardly you look like religious people but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are filthy and full of greed and self indulgence" ( Matt 23: 25-28)
And then he tells us why hypocrisy puts up barriers for people to enter his kingdom.
"What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law…hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom Of Heaven in people's faces. You won't go in yourselves and you don't let other people enter either" (Matt 23:13)
Here's the problem for us as Christians… most of us aren't going to be the Westbrook Baptist Church who picket soldier's funerals or scream "Fags Go to Hell"
But all of us who are Christians sin. We are all too some degree hypocrital. We say our God, is Holy… but each of us "Miss that Mark"
And if the most common message the outside world hears is…"Christianity is a religion of Keeping God's rules and regulations… It's being good… doing the rights thing and standing for the right causes. And we use this standard for our faith then the temptation will always be to airbrush our flaws…and pretend that we are the picture of HOLINESS.
If I don't openly admit my battle with sin I'll pretend I have conquered the enemy and tell you "you should have to."
Phillip Yancey in his book"What's so Amazing about Grace?" makes his own candid conclusion: "Having spent time around sinners and also supported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the 1st group. He preferred their company. The sinners were honest about themselves and had no pretense…Jesus could deal with them In contrast the saints put on airs, judged him and sought to catch him on a moral trap. In the end it was these so called saints that arrested Jesus not the sinners:.
No wonder Jesus said, "They crush people with impossible religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden" (Matt 23:4)
Maybe the key word for salty and shining people is authentic. This world continually sees its share of fakers and charlatans--what it needs is an authentic picture of what it means to follow Christ, even with all our zits and flab.
That’s why
III SALT LEAVES THE SHAKER AND LIGHT PENETRATES DARKNESS.
People embrace people who love them. Larry Barber President of Mission Year says "A Large building with little connection to the streets is essentially empty Christian Rhetoric without tangible acts of love is hypocrisy….Churches on every corner with hurting people outside is hypocrisy."
Unless our Christianity moves out to the street it is basically no different than the Pharisees.
"For I tell you unless, your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and teachers of the law you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of heaven". (Matt 5:20)
Salts flavor is only released when it impacts food. Light only releases its power when it comes in contact with darkness. Christianity is only Christianity when we live out its truth and grace in the world.
It's exactly why Jesus told us "I am the light of the world and whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8:12)
Jesus spent the majority of his life among people…He brought the light of life to those caught in darkness.
[I had lunch with a friend this week that talked about being with our kids down in New Orleans after Katrina. They were mucking out a house and cutting weeds…He went back to the truck to get some more gas for the weed eater and a lady walked over and said, "You guys are Christians aren't you? He said, "What?" You guys are Christians aren't you?" And he said, yes mam." She said, "You Christians seem to be the ones coming here to help.
And He told me it might have been the first time anyone had ever asked him that question like that.]
It is those acts of love… the tangible acts of kindness, the small graces that Jesus says, identify who our father is and bring him glory.
What random acts will you look for this week to make you salty and in a flavorless world? What light will you shine in the darkness for His glory?
Airbrushed people might look good on a magazine cover, but authentic people living out grace and truth in the real world show a real picture of Jesus in the earth and to the world.
Let's pray
