1. II. WE INFLUENCE OTHERS BY OUR WALK AND BY OUR WITNESS.
1.1. What we do and what we say as Christians
1.1.1. Christians slow the worlds spoiling
1.1.2. Edmund Burke
1.1.3. Most people just follow God is calling you to lead
1.1.4. You are their chance to see Christ
2. III. WE MUST BE DIFFERENT IN ORDER TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
2.1. Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
2.1.1. , Jesus says that if the salt loses its saltiness, “It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
2.1.2. Contaminated salt is useless
2.1.2.1. But one had to be careful not to throw it on a garden or field
2.1.2.2. Where it would kill vegetation
2.1.2.3. So it was thrown onto a path or roadway
2.1.2.4. Where it would be ground into the dirt and disappear.
2.1.3. When we become contaminated by sin
2.1.3.1. we lose our usefulness as God’s moral preservative in the world
2.1.3.2. We cannot be an influence for purity unless we are pure.
2.2. Vs 15 You don't hide it in a bowl
2.2.1. Christianity is something that is meant to be seen
2.2.2. Jesus did not say, “You are the light of the church,” but “You are the light of the world.”
2.2.3. We must reach out to the people in darkness in order to give them light.
3. CONCLUSION
3.1. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus offered this prayer for his followers
3.1.1. John 17:15-16 I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to this world any more than I do.
3.1.2. John 17:18 Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world.
3.2. We are God's answer to this generation
4. Message Video
5. Matthew 5:13–16
5.1. Matthew 5:13-14 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
5.2. Matthew 5:15–16 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
6. Salt has always been a valuable commodity
6.1. Since prehistoric times, it has been universally used as a seasoning and a preservative
6.2. Salt is so valuable that it has sometimes been used as money
6.3. The perfect metaphor
6.4. God calls us to be different so that we can make a difference.
7. I. GOD PUT YOU HERE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
7.1. When Jesus speaks about our being the salt of the earth and the light of the world
7.1.1. he’s talking about our influence
7.1.2. Consciously or unconsciously, our character affects everyone who knows us.
7.2. The classic film
7.2.1. It’s a Wonderful Life
7.2.2. Tells the story of George Bailey
7.2.3. Who thinks that his life counts for nothing because he has never been able to get out of the small town of Bedford Falls
7.2.4. Where he is the president of the local Building and Loan Association
7.2.5. When Christmas Eve 1945 finds George with more problems than he thinks he can handle
7.2.6. He tries to end his life by jumping off a bridge
7.2.7. He is saved, however, by his guardian angel, Clarence, who shows George what his town would have been like if it hadn’t been for all his good deeds
7.2.8. When George sees how much worse Bedford Falls would have been without his influence
7.2.9. Clarence tells George, “One man’s life touches so many others that when he’s not there it leaves an awfully big hole.”
7.3. You will make a difference
7.3.1. You cannot withdraw your moral influence on the universe
7.3.2. By the time your life is done, there will be thousands of people who will enter eternity with a different character than they would have if you had never lived
7.3.3. You leave your fingerprints on the soul of every person you meet.
7.4. The pronoun “you” is emphatic in Matthew 5:13 and 14
7.4.1. It is up to you
7.4.2. Jesus is saying, “You are the [only] salt of the earth.… You are the [only] light of the world.”
7.4.2.1. You are God's plan for this world
7.4.2.2. Our influence flows from who and what we are.
7.4.2.3. What we are comes from who we serve