“People Who Follow Jesus Influence”

Matthew 5:13-16

April 4, 2004 Pastor Scott Thielen

Thesis: God intends to influence this world through beatitude Christians

Introduction

Hook

“I am the king of the world” clip from “Titanic” (DVD chapter 7… 0:20 (looking behind ship) to 4:20 (“she’s the largest… ever made by man”)

What a great feeling! Riding on the bow of the greatest ship man had ever made.

Probably everyone in this room has experienced that feeling of exhilaration and euphoria at a very special moment. I certainly have. At times I feel like I am on top of the world, like everything is going perfectly, like I’m in control of my own destiny.

But those moments don’t last long. And we all know why… because whenever we take control of our own lives, we eventually discover that we’re steering the Titanic. When you or I take charge, that’s when life begins to sink.

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, a special day in history that reminds us of one important fact: none of us is qualified to be king of the world, or king of our own lives for that matter. Leonard DiCaprio is not the king of his world. Nor is Donald Trump, or Michael Jackson, or even Martha Stewart.

Jesus Christ is alone the rightful King. We each secretly want to be king of our own world, but the reality is that none of us is capable. There can only be one King, and His name is Jesus! We are here to serve Him, not the other way around.

On what we call “Palm Sunday,” Jesus entered Jerusalem to announce His arrival as King of the world. He was God’s promised Messiah but, as we know, the Jewish nation rejected Him, He was put to death just as God planned, raised from the dead, and He left to return to heaven where He is right now.

He is the real King of the world, but He is waiting to return and take up that reign?
Why hasn’t He come back to prove His critics wrong?
Why doesn’t He reveal His true power to a doubting world?

“Passion” impact—Perhaps you’ve heard of a little movie called “The Passion of the Christ.” Is it a perfect movie? No. Is it a powerful movie? Most people would say, ‘Yes.’ Is it a life-changing movie? Here’s the latest report from WorldNetDaily posted on March 31.

Critics of Mel Gibson's controversial blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ" have expressed fear the film would spark an outbreak of violence, but instead it continues to prompt criminals, from burglars to murderers, to confess to crimes committed as long as a decade ago.

The fourth recent instance of confession to a crime was reported yesterday in Mesa, Ariz., where a man walked up to police Sunday at the scene of a burglary and confessed to the break-in as well as five or six others.

"He had made some mention that after watching the Mel Gibson movie . . . that was his motive for turning himself in," said Mesa police detective Ruben Quesada, according to the East Valley Tribune in suburban Phoenix. "It is a first," Quesada told the paper.

Meanwhile, at least three other confessions have been reported in relationship to the film.

In Norway, a neo-Nazi confessed to two decade-old bombings after watching Gibson's depiction of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ.

Near Houston, a man seeking "redemption" confessed to killing his girlfriend after her death had been ruled a suicide, saying he had been moved by his experience viewing "The Passion."

In Florida, a fugitive from a bank robbery two years ago said he turned himself in to police after watching Gibson's film.

Transition

No one can argue with the fact that Jesus made His mark on this world. Human history revolves around Him at the center. He has had the most profound impact of anyone in the world. And that impact continues even today.

And what is Jesus’ strategy for carrying out His mission of forgiveness and healing? The Bible tells us that He turned it all over to eleven men and those who would follow Him in faith. That’s us.

Doesn’t that scare you just a little bit? That Jesus is counting on us to carry on His influence in the world?

Influence

We’re talking about influence. Influence = that invisible force in one’s personality that causes others to act. Influence is “the power to move a person to some action.”

Influence is…

The person who merges into my lane
Your employer who controls your paycheck
The teacher who gets kids excited about something
The parent who prepares his child for the real world
Lobbyists who get politicians to support their agenda
My brother “the clown” delivering the punch line after my big gulp of milk

One reason for Jesus’ influence was that He spoke with both conviction and authority. He was clear about who He was. The Bible gives Him the name “Emmanuel” which means “God with us.” God was with us in Christ, but Jesus never tried to become like us. He simply showed us what we could become. That is the power of influence.

Review

Turn with me to Matthew 5. Let’s review. In the first 12 verses of Matthew 5 we learned that the Beatitude Christian is:

“poor in spirit” = humble and needy before God
“one who mourns” = sorry for sin in the world and self, depending on God for comfort
“meek” = humbly submitted to God for life on earth
“hungry & thirsty for righteousness” = seeking rightness, satisfaction in Christ
“merciful” = forgiving and seeking to relieve the misery of others
“pure in heart” = reflecting the holiness of Jesus Himself
“peacemakers” = committed to the hard work of making true peace
“persecuted because of righteousness” = following Jesus regardless of the cost

Transition

These are the characteristics of a Christ-follower. These are the values we pursue. To represent Jesus right here, right now.

But then there is this gap between what we say and what we do.

Woman who behaved unlike an believer (negative influence)

Two cars were waiting at a stoplight. The light turned green, but the man didn't notice it. A woman in the car behind him is watching traffic pass around them. The woman begins pounding on her steering wheel and yelling at the man to move. The man doesn't move. The woman is going ballistic inside her car, ranting and raving at the man, pounding on her steering wheel and dash. The light turns yellow and the woman begins to blow the car horn, and yells at the man. The man looks up, sees the yellow light and accelerates through the intersection just as the light turns red.

The woman is beside herself, screaming in frustration as she misses her chance to get through the intersection. As she is still in mid-rant she hears a tap on her window and looks up into the barrel of a gun held by a very serious looking policeman. The policeman tells her to shut off her car while keeping both hands in sight. She complies, speechless at what is happening. After she shuts off the engine, the policeman orders her to exit her car with her hands up. She gets out of the car and he orders her to turn and place her hands on her car then handcuffs her and takes her to the police station where she is fingerprinted, photographed, searched, booked and placed in a cell.

After a couple of hours, a policeman approaches the cell and opens the door for her. She is escorted back to the booking desk where the original officer is waiting with her personal effects and says, "I'm really sorry for this mistake. But you see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your horn and yelling the guy off in front of you. I noticed the 'Choose Life' license plate holder, the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Follow Me to Sunday School' bumper sticker, and the chrome plated Christian fish emblem on the trunk.

"Naturally I assumed you had stolen the car."

Influence goes both ways. Either I influence you, or you influence me. Either we shape the world around us, or the world shapes us. The question before us today is this: “Who is influencing whom?”

The apostle Paul challenges us, “Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). To be honest, sometimes we don’t do a very good job influencing the world. Once in a while, as we look carefully into the spiritual mirror of God’s word, we’re shocked by what we see.

Couples look alike—You know how people who have been married for many years begin to look alike, think the same way, like the same things? There is the danger we face as believers living with a world that opposes God’s will. The longer we are together, the more we begin to look alike.

Have we forgotten who we are? Or whose we are? It is a real threat. The biggest threat to us as believers isn’t terrorism or persecution. It is compromise.

How can you live in the world without letting the world influence you? Didn’t Jesus call us to influence the world for Him?

So here’s the question we come to this morning: what should be our relationship with the world around us?

Should we keep our distance and avoid getting dirty?
Should we join in and enjoy the ride?
Or is there another way?

Matthew 5:13-16

In these next statements, Jesus gives us two clear pictures of our identity. And each picture reveals something important about who we are as followers of Christ. Jesus answers the question, “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” He tells us how we are to influence the world:

1. We influence the world by being different

“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.” –Matthew 5:13 NIV

There are at least four common uses for salt:

it melts snow. Yeah! Aren’t we thankful for salt when it snows?! It makes getting around in the winter weather almost safe.
it preserves. In the pre-electric age, there was no such thing as refrigerator/freezers. So how did people keep their meat from rotting? They used salt. Salt was rubbed into the meat and it acted as a preservative to slow the process of decay.
it causes thirst. Thanks to salt, our need for water is increased. As the old farmer once said, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink… unless you give him salt.” Anyone who works or exercises in the heat knows this is true, because as our body temperature goes up, so does our sweat. And by sweating we lose a lot of our body’s salt. The best way to replenish the body is with water. Salt causes thirst.
it seasons. Perhaps the most common use of salt is to season or flavor food. Can you imagine popcorn without the salt? Or potatoes? Some foods are just bland by themselves, and salt can bring out the flavor of food if used sparingly. Of course, some bodies can’t handle much salt, and a bland diet is pretty much what you get.

But here’s Jesus’ point: if salt isn’t salty, it is worthless. What salt does best is just to be itself. Salt is different, and that difference is what we appreciate.

Salt is useful in the winter months because it is counter-acts snow.
Salt preserves food because it is something other than food.
Salt makes us thirsty because it is different from water.
Salt makes food taste better because it is different from the food it seasons.

What makes salt useful is the fact that it is different. It stands out. And that makes the food’s flavor even better. If salt wasn’t different it would be worthless. That is Jesus’ lesson.

As believers, if we are not different from the people around us, what’s the point? Unless they can spot the difference, we will have no influence. !!! I want you to catch two important concepts here:

§ I am different because of who I am

As a believer in Christ, I am not like everybody else, because I have embraced God’s love for me, expressed on the cross. I am a citizen of heaven, an alien on earth. This is not my home. I am different because I belong to God.

§ Because of who I am, I am able to act differently

And because of who I am, I view the world differently and choose to behave differently. It’s in my spiritual DNA. What God has begun in my life He will carry on “to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Because I belong to God, I want to and am empowered to act differently.

Not weird, though

If the people around us can see that we are different, influence has begun. We can’t influence people unless we are somehow different from them. Now, we don’t want to be different in the “weird” sort of way.

§ We don’t want to be known for wearing outdated styles

§ We don’t want to be known for singing weird music

§ We don’t want to be known merely for what we’re against

§ We don’t want to be known for strange hairstyles

§ We don’t want to be known for using old English all the time

These aren’t the primary reasons we should be known as different. We don’t want to be known merely for being different in our appearance. We want to be known for being different in our character.

We want people of the world to see that God really does change people. We are His trophy case. We are God’s pride and joy. And that’s what we want people to see in us: that God has changed us from the inside out.

2. We also influence the world by being with people

“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.“ --Matthew 5:14-15 NIV

Why do we value light? There are several reasons:

it shines and gives direction
it dispels darkness

Jesus gives two lessons about light:

§ First, you can’t hide what’s obvious

When you build a city up on a hill you assume people are going to see its light at night. It stands out in the darkness. You just can’t cover that kind of thing up. It’s impossible.

§ Second, you use something for its intended purpose

When it’s getting dark and you turn the lamp on, you don’t then cover it up. Where do you have the lights in your home? Do you put them in your closets? Of course not. That’s a silly idea. A lamp is made for a purpose.

What Jesus is telling us is that we can’t influence people if we are not with them.

God has not called us to sit in our monasteries and pray for the poor people who have lost their way.
We aren’t called to point out all the ways our society is failing.
Our job is not to pronounce judgment; it is to leave our Christian community and get out into our lost society to show a better way.

Light illuminates the darkness. Light isn’t meant to be bottled up, hidden from the darkness. It’s meant to penetrate the darkness. And that’s why you and I are here this morning. The believer doesn’t have inherent light. No, we have reflective light. Like the stars and moon, we simply reflect the pure light of Christ.

We come together as believers to get our batteries charged, to get our light clean and focused. Why? Not to feel good about our light, but to take that light out into a spiritually dark world. What we say we believe must become what we do as well.

Oxymorons

Do you know what an oxymoron is? Two Greek words—oxus and moros—refer to something that is pointedly foolish. An oxymoron is a pair of words we use that is incompatible. Words that cancel each other out. Like jumbo shrimp! Here are some other memorable oxymorons you might enjoy:

Found missing… small crowd… sweet sorrow… good grief… alone together… soft rock… genuine imitation… clearly misunderstood… same difference… resident alien… act naturally… plastic glasses… tight slacks… working vacation… exact estimate… deafening silence.

Can you handle one more? Christian integrity. Quite often we are the oxymoron. We say one thing and do another. We promise to do something, and we break our promises. And we do come by it naturally, don’t we?

But we don’t want to be a spiritual oxymoron. We want to live out what we say we believe. That’s what Jesus is getting at when He speaks of us being the light of the world.

Listen to Jesus’ prayer for us in John 17:15-18

“My prayer [Father] is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it… As you sent Me into the world, I have sent them into the world.”

Did you catch what He wants for us? It is perfectly clear that God’s will you is to be in the world but not of the world. Jesus wants you to be like Him. This is exactly why Jesus stood out as someone who was different. Because He was in the world, but He didn’t become like the world. Instead, He brought hope for the world.

Jesus spent time with people who needed His light. He is called a teacher, but He is also called a “friend of tax-collectors and sinners” (Matthew 11:19), and religious people meant that as a criticism. But Jesus saw it as being salt and light. And He calls us to follow His example.

Read Matthew 9:9-13, the story of how Jesus reached Matthew and his friends.

Example of Daniel

The Bible is full of bad examples. But it also gives us some great models to learn from, such as a young man who found himself in a very awkward position. He believed in the one true God but found himself living in a culture that wanted nothing to do with God. His name was Daniel.

Living in a foreign country, Daniel distinguished himself by his exceptional qualities to the point that the king planned to put him in charge of the whole kingdom. That’s credibility, and that’s influence!

But with influence comes opposition. And with Daniel’s success, other government leaders tried to find ways to exploit his weaknesses, to point out some moral failure. And this is what the Bible tells us:

“They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent” (Daniel 6:4b).

Translation? Daniel was not a spiritual oxymoron, he was a model of godliness.

Of course, you know the rest of the story. These jealous men concoct a way to trick the king into enacting a law that makes it illegal for Daniel to worship the God of Israel. Anyone who broke this law would be thrown into a den of hungry lions.

What was Daniel’s response?

Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened to Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before” (Daniel 6:10).

That is so awesome! I want to be like Daniel, don’t you?!

Application

This is the kind of influence Jesus speaks of in Matthew 5:16.

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

The essence of this last statement is that…

3. We seek to influence the world for the right reasons

Jesus says, “In the same way…” In what way? In the same way that we expect salt to be salty and light to illuminate the darkness, so should be our influence.

Jesus says, “let your light shine.” Why would He say that? It seems to imply that we are in danger of failing to be who we were meant to be. Jesus says, “Don’t settle for living a passive life. You can do something about it. Be an influencer!”

Notice that Jesus doesn’t say that we need to influence God. He already knows who we are.

We are called to influence other people. Why? So that by observing the way we are different from the rest of lost humanity they might see hope for mankind and connect the dots, offering glory to our heavenly Father.

The goal is not that they see our good works and pat us on the back. No, the goal is that in our living they might see the power of Christ to change lives. Our world is desperate for truth, for something that works. We are a society grasping at anything that might help.

Putting It All Together

Following Jesus goes way past a private spirituality. It also involves a believer’s public life, how we behave in public view.

As sinners saved by grace… we influence the world by being different, by being with people, and by living to glorify God in all we do.

Does it really matter to the world how you behave tomorrow? (Read quote from the Daily Bread, “Where Does It All End?,” Monday, March 29, 2004)

Four-year-old Angelo wakes up and discovers that his new beagle puppy has chewed up his plastic guitar. The little fellow has a fit of grief. Mom's nerves tighten. She snaps at husband Tony as he leaves for the office.

Still feeling the unhappy send-off, Tony greets his secretary with some cold and unreasonable instructions. She picks up the mood, and at coffee break tells off a fellow secretary. At closing time the second secretary tells her boss she's ready to quit.

An hour-and-a-half later, after fighting heavy traffic, the boss walks into his house and blurts out an angry word to little Nelson, who had left his bike in the driveway. Nelson runs to his room, slams the door, and kicks his Scottish terrier.

Where does it all end? Each person may think he or she had reason to be upset. But what was needed in this imaginary situation was one person who would absorb unjust treatment without lashing out.

This is when Christians have a unique opportunity. By knowing the Father's will, by heeding the Son's example, and by relying on the Spirit's help, we can endure bad treatment in order to show others a better way. In chain reactions of frustration and anger, we can be where it all ends. —Mart De Haan

My World

This morning each of us needs to answer a personal question: Which do I more closely resemble: a spiritual oxymoron or a spiritual influencer?

Have everybody put on their sunglasses. Look around the room. This is what the Lord wants to see. A church where our lives are so bright we need sunglasses to look at each other!

There is one thing we as believers definitely have in common with people everywhere: none of us really enjoy evangelism. But as we learn to relax and be the people of God we are called to be, letting people in the world see who we really are isn’t so bad. Rather than focus on evangelism—which can often seem intimidating—just determine to be a godly person wherever you are. Let your light shine.

There are three ways you can influence your world:

You can influence your world as an individual—it begins with remembering who you are and choosing how you live moment by moment. If God is truly changing you, it will show up in how you think of yourself, how you treat others, how you handle money, how you seek fulfillment. And we need Christians in every walk of life, so think of how God can use you uniquely where you work or live. Consider a career in journalism, education or government, because we need godly influence in these arenas.
You can influence your world as part of a family unit—you can also influence your world through your family. You can begin by showing them that you are serious about changing. And together you can influence your extended family and your neighbors by living what you believe.
You can influence your world as part of the church family—we’re here to encourage each other, so be willing to share how you’re doing as salt and light. In your small group, you can even work together to be creative about your influence.

Practical ideas for influencing the world around you:

(circle 2or 3 that God puts on your heart)

decide to invest yourself in someone’s life
pray for them
make sure your walk matches your talk
don’t be afraid to enter their social world
ask lots of questions and learn to be a really good listener
be there when they could use a friend
watch for simple ways to serve
take small steps as you share
invite them to an appropriate event

More ideas for making an impact:

(talk about these in your small group)

hold a totally free car wash
give away soft drinks… just because
offer to rake leaves for free
give candy or flowers to emergency personnel and say thanks
give away newspapers or flowers at the corner of a major intersection
organize a birthday party for shut-ins at a nursing home
offer to help pack grocery bags at a local store and smile
you think of something you could do to show the love of Christ

Books:

I’ve even given you ten great books to jump-start your personal influence. Here’s the challenge: pick one book and read it to prepare yourself for a summer of influencing someone’s life for Christ.

Conclusion

Don’t be afraid to be different! That’s what God created us to do: be different from the world. We are to be in the world, but not of the world.

In the words of Francis of Assisi, “Preach the Gospel all the time; if necessary, use words.”

May our actions and our words be as salt and light in the Yakima Valley.

Top Ten Books to Jump-Start Your Personal Influence (in order of publishing date)

The Master Plan of Evangelism, by Robert E. Coleman, Fleming H. Revell Company: 1963
Out of the Salt-Shaker and Into the World: Evangelism as a Way of Life, by Rebecca Manley Pippert, InterVarsity Press: 1979
Lifestyle Evangelism: Crossing Traditional Boundaries to Reach the Unbelieving World, by Joe Aldrich, Multnomah Press: 1981
Flirting with the World: A Challenge to Loyalty, by John White, Harold Shaw Publishers: 1982
Your Home a Lighthouse: Hosting an Evangelistic Bible Study, by Bob & Betty Jacks, Navpress: 1986
Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry & Mary: How to Reach Friends and Family Who Avoid God and the Church, by Lee Strobel, Zondervan Publishing House: 1993
Becoming a Contagious Christian, by Bill Hybels and Mark Mittelberg, Zondervan Publishing House: 1994
Out of Their Faces and Into Their Shoes: How to Understand Spiritually Lost People and Give Them Directions to God, by John Kramp, Broadman & Holman Publishers: 1995
Speaking of Jesus: How to Tell Your Friends the Best News They Will Ever Hear, by J. Mack Stiles, InterVarsity Press: 1995
Evangelism Made Slightly Less Difficult: How to Interest People Who Aren’t Interested, by Nick Pollard, InterVarsity Press: 1997

Other Sources:

Read the Christianity Today article called “Evangelical Drift” by Charles Colson and Anne Morse, posted 03/29/2004. Go to http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/004/27.112.html.

Read in The Daily Bread devotional booklet for March 29, “Where Does It All End?” by Mart DeHaan. Go to http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/odb/odb-03-29-04.shtml

Small Group Study Questions

If you were to describe yourself as a flavor, what would your flavor be (be creative and have some fun)?
Why is salt even needed? What are some of the ways it can be used? What effect does it have on food? What happens to food when there is no salt? How do salty things affect us?
Why is light needed? What effect does it have on our world? Why do people commit crimes and evil acts under cover of darkness?
According to Jesus, how exactly are Christians to be like lamps? How might a believer hide his or her light?
Notice that Jesus speaks of two identities when He says, “You are…salt…light.” What are some of the other pictures He uses to reveal who we really are in God’s eyes? (John 10:27; 15:14-15; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 12:18,25; Ephesians 5:1-2; 2 Timothy 2:4; 1 Peter 2:9,11,16; 1 Peter 3:7; Revelation 1:6; just to get you started!)
How should I be different from the world? What kind of behavior should other people see Christians exhibiting (v. 16)? What is the connection between the believer’s character (verses 1-12) and his/her influence (verses 13-17)? What motivates us to behave differently than the average person? Think of some scriptures that connect our motivation with our behavior.
If believers live as they are supposed to live, how will others potentially respond to God? Why does that matter, according to 2 Corinthians 4:7-18? What will prevent some from seeing our godly behavior (see verses 4-6). Can you think of a situation in your life right now where you need to keep this ultimate goal in view?
Read together Philippians 2:14-16. What are the top five moral problems facing our “crooked and depraved” nation? How might your unchurched friend’s list differ?
In view of your gifts, abilities, and interests, what specific problem in our world can you counteract as a representative of Christ? What is one step you can take? Is there something our group can do together to influence the world in some practical way? Consider picking one of the suggestions for serving the community and make a plan.
Share the name of an unbelieving friend that everyone in your group can begin praying for. To whom in your neighborhood, family, or workplace can you be salt and light this week? How do you see that happening?