Please turn with me to the Gospel of Matthew 5:13.
In their 2007 book entitled unChristian, David Kinnaman, who is the president of the Barna Group, and Gabe Lyons studied the perceptions of Christians held by those that are outside of the Christian faith.[1] They found six main perceptions that people have of Christians in the United States.
Hypocritical. First, outsiders consider us hypocritical – saying one thing and doing another – and they are skeptical of our morally superior attitudes. They say Christians pretend to be something unreal, conveying a polished image that is not accurate. Christians think the church is only a place for virtuous and morally pure people.
They also perceive us to be too focused on getting converts. Outsiders wonder if we genuinely care about them. They feel like targets rather than people. They question our motives when we try to help them get saved, despite the fact that many of them have already tried Jesus and experienced church before.
We are considered antihomosexual. Outsiders say that Christians are bigoted and show hatred for gays and lesbians. They say Christians are fixated on curing homosexuals and on leveraging political solutions against them.
They say we are sheltered. Christians are thought of as old-fashioned, boring and out of touch with reality. Outsiders say we do not respond to reality in appropriately complex ways, preferring simplistic solutions and answers. We are not willing to deal with the grit and grime of people’s everyday, messy lives.
Perceptions
We are too political. Another common perception of Christians is that we are overly motivated by a political agenda, that we promote and represent politically conservative interests and issues. Conservative Christians are often thought of as right-wingers.
And of course, we are judgmental. Outsiders think of Christians as quick to judge others. They say we are not honest about our attitudes and perspectives about other people. They doubt that we really love people as we say we do.
They seem to sum it up this way: those that are outside the Christian faith say that Christians are known more for what we are against rather than what we are for. In fact, many of the respondents and those interviewed by Kinnaman and Lyons believe that the way that Christians live their lives is not what Jesus had in mind.
I will be honest, when I read this book for my doctoral program, I became defensive and angry. But, it forced me to look objectively at myself, at Oak Grove Community Church, and at the Church of Jesus Christ. There were a lot of things that outsiders to the faith said that simply were not true or simply antagonistic remarks about Christians, but there were many things that outsiders said that hit their mark.
I am not naïve enough to believe that we can change everyone’s mind. But their findings should be a wake up call for American Christians. It should force us to always to examine our lives in light of the life of Jesus Christ and the challenge of God’s Word.
I want to say something that Kinnaman and Lyons would probably disagree with. God did not call us to change the perceptions of outsiders towards Christianity. He called us to be and do something in his kingdom. And we are going to briefly explore that today.
Would you please stand for the reading of God’s Word?
The purpose of today’s sermon is remind us of why we are hosting a Back to School outreach and vacation Bible school at Oak Grove. It is a reminder of what we are to be and do in the kingdom of God.
Again, we cannot change the perceptions of people. We can only change who we are, and our character, and what we do. We can only seek to bring ourselves completely under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and show the world what that looks like through our character and our actions, our good deeds, what it means to be children of God
So, what has God called us to be and do in the kingdom of God?
MAIN BODY
First, God has called us to the “salt of the earth.” In other words, the disciple of Jesus Christ should be known for his or her character.
We see that in verse 13 where Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth.”
Here, Jesus is talking about a state of being that produces the flavor that is desired. In previous verses, verses 1-12, Jesus explains what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in God’s kingdom in what we know as the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. He describes the “ . . . appropriate lifestyle of disciples.”[2]
Now, Jesus explains the effect that this lifestyle should have on this earth. You don’t eat just salt. Well, my son does to prove how cool he is, but the purpose of salt is not just the salt itself, it is the effect that salt has on something else. Verses 1-12 are the salt, verse 13 is the effect that it has on what it comes in contact with.
There are many uses of salt, but I think that the use that is in view here is its effect on flavor. It can be used as a preservative, a substance to treat wineskins, and it is used to slow fermentation in manure for fertilization. I’ll bet you never thought of yourself that way as a Christian before. But I think that the use that is in view here is its effect on flavor; salt enriches the flavor of a food.
And Jesus is comparing the character and nature of his disciples as enriching life on earth. It is our character, who we are, that adds value to those around us. You don’t have character unless it is affecting someone else; it is the effect that our character has on people around us that makes us salty. The character of the disciple of Jesus Christ should affect others.
How should it affect others? Our character, when we interact with others, should add value to others lives instead of tearing others down. Our character should edify those with whom we work. Our character should inspire others. Our character bear witness to the love of Christ in our lives. Our character should draw people towards Christ instead of repelling people away from Christ. Our character should lead people to ask questions about our faith, rather than lead people to hate the church.
Granted, there are principles and values that we should never bend on. It is absolutely true that there are some aspects of our character and our actions, there are values and principles by which we live, that people in the world simply cannot accept. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 1:20-25:
Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s wisdom.
The reality is that when we preach and live Christ crucified, we are living foolishly according to “wisdom” of this world. There are truths on which we stand that the world simply will not accept. But even if the world does not accept it, it is not us they are rejecting, but it is Christ. It is not us they hate, it is Christ in us. God has called us to be a salt to this world and have an effect on this world regardless of their perceptions.
We are called to live lives that are full of holiness, righteousness, and redemption. We are called to be people of character, and that character of Christ in us will have a profound, spiritual effect on those we come in contact with.
Paul put it this way when he was encouraging his young protégé, Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12. He says, “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” The Greek word that is here is translated “example” is an interesting word. The word is tupos, where we get our word “type.” Tupos is thought of as an object and the impression that an object leaves. Do you remember when you were a kid and had a tub of play-doh? You could take a coin and press it into the pla-doh and it would leave and impression of the coin in the play-doh. Tupos is both the coin and the impression that it leaves. It leaves an example of what the coin is. The coin has an effect on the play-doh and the play-doh is an example of what the coin is. What kind of impression or example are you leaving on people by the character that you display? Is it full of the flavor of the kingdom of God or is it something else?
Jesus says in verse 14, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hid.” In other words, “A disciple [of Jesus Christ] should be as obvious as a city set on a hill . . .”[3] When it is dark outside, and someone turns on a flashlight, it is obvious where the light is coming from. For the people in our world, it should be obvious that we are disciples of Jesus Christ. It should be obvious through our speech, our lifestyles, how we love, through our faith in Jesus Christ, and purity.
But what if we aren’t people of good character? If we are not people of character, then our witness of Christ is worthless. In fact, Jesus says that “ . . . if [your] 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.” “Jesus . . . explains that a ‘disciple’ who does not live this lifestyle of the kingdom is worth about as much as tasteless salt or invisible light – nothing.”[4] Theologian Craig Keener said it this way: “Nominal disciples who do not live a life of discipleship will be ‘thrown out and trampled underfoot.’”[5] A person who calls himself or herself a disciple, but has not character, according to Jesus, is useless in the Kingdom of God.
Transition: The disciple of Jesus Christ should be known for his or her good character. He or she should be known for the effect that he or she has on others in a Christ-like way. It should be obvious that we as individual Christians and as a church that we are truly disciples of Jesus Christ. How does Jesus tell us the primary way that we should show our character as disciples of Jesus Christ?
A man once said, “One can acquire everything in solitude -- except character” (Stendhal in "Fragments, I", Christianity Today, November 22, 1993, p. 37.) In other words, character cannot be developed merely in our private lives. It can only be developed in our relationship, both inside and outside the church. Jesus teaches us here how our character is truly displayed – as a light to the world.
Second, Jesus calls us to be a light to the world. The disciple’s character should best be recognized and developed in his or her good works.
Jesus is calling his church to be a light to the nations. We see this in verses 15-16: “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives lift 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.”
Jesus begins this passage by explaining the pointlessness of having good character and not doing something with it. It is a contradiction to say that you are a disciple of Jesus Christ and not do good deeds. It is a contradiction to say that you have been born again and not do good deeds or works. In the same way that it would be silly to light a lamp and then place it under a bowl, it is silly to call ourselves the church of Jesus Christ and simply exist for ourselves.
In fact, Jesus is teaching that a person with character will do good works. He says that character is always revealed in action, like a light that illuminates an entire house. And it will have an effect on everyone that sees that light.
I have heard all of my life the cliché “faith in action.” I have stopped saying that. I believe that faith is action! Jesus is saying that it is preposterous to say you have faith and then hide it. It is ridiculous to say we have faith and then hid it in our church on Sunday mornings. When someone has faith, it is their character to do good works in the whole house. In other words, if we say we have faith and only people in the church see it, it is the same as hiding a lamp under a bowl.
James said it this way in James 2:14-22:
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did [emphasis added] (James 2:14-22).
He goes on to say in verse 26: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
CONCLUSION
Why are we doing what we are doing today? Because it is the character of the disciple of Jesus Christ to show the love of Christ to our community through good deeds, in this case, meeting a physical need – a backpack for students. We do this because this is who we are. It is our vision at Oak Grove to be outwardly focused. It is our vision to not just exist for ourselves. It is our vision to be a light to the world. But there is one more goal that we are striving for more than character, more that deeds, which if not put in the right perspective can be self serving. It is found in verse 16: “ . . . that they may . . . praise your Father in heaven.” Our ultimate goal is that people give their lives to the Lord and worship him. Our goal is the glory of God, not the glory of man. It is to bring praise to our King, or Lord, or Savior.
At Oak Grove, we want to be know for what we are for rather than for what we are against. We want to be known for good works – not to be saved, but because we are saved. Not as the root of our salvation but the fruit of our salvation. But, more than that, we want to be known as the people of God who give glory to God in all that we do.
[1] David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity . . . and Why it Matters (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007).
[2] Craig. S. Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999), 172.
[3] Ibid., 173.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
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