Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Good morning, Christchurch.
[00:00:04] Like Tina said, my name is Katie Brown. I am our executive pastor here at Christchurch.
[00:00:09] So that means two things. One, I've known Chet for over 20 years.
[00:00:16] We came on staff pretty close to each other and we had these dreams about what God might do in us and through us to build the church. And I just have to say, you are so blessed to have such a good man be your pastor here.
[00:00:33] The way he loves God faithfully and dreams big dreams into the future.
[00:00:40] It's been an awesome adventure to see all that God is doing in him, through him. And you guys, what an adventure you're on.
[00:00:48] I got to walk through the building and how fun, how beautiful, how wonderful that is going to be. Like Tina said, I also do pay the bills. So I have this unique place where we're staring at very giant bills saying, God, how are we going to do this?
[00:01:04] And then you guys show up and you give generously and sacrificially and I get to see how God works when men and women just like you say yes, and you give a piece of your lunch and God shows up and feeds the multitude. So I want to personally say thank you. Thank you for your generosity, thank you for your sacrifice. That building is going to be a place that lifts up the name of Jesus Christ for generations to come. And what a cool thing that you get to be a part of that.
[00:01:33] Let me say a prayer for us. Dear Father, I love you are such an amazingly good God. I'm thankful that you invite us into this adventure of faith to do these awesome, big, impossibly hard, but wonderful things with you. I pray that your hand would be upon us. I pray that your grace, your favor would rest in us and that we would be the church that lives out the purpose for what you've created us to do. I pray this all in Jesus name, Amen.
[00:02:01] So if somebody was to show up and ask you what you most want out of life, if you're like me or most people, right? Like, what do you want for yourself? What do you want for your kids?
[00:02:13] Most of our first response is, well, I'd like to be happy, right? I'd like my children to be happy. We all have something in us innately that wants it. Nobody really wakes up. I don't know about you, but I've never woken up and said I would really like today to be terrible.
[00:02:30] Like, if everything could go wrong today, I would feel like that was a win. Dear Jesus, like, I've never prayed for a hard day or a miserable day, but sure Enough. They find me. Do they find you?
[00:02:43] So most of us have this longing to be happy, but not many of us are. And if you read the statistics and the studies that are coming out, our happiness index is going down, down, down in America, and even more so for our younger generation, from 15 to 24. 15 to 24.
[00:03:03] So the question is, if everybody wants to be happy, why aren't more of us happy?
[00:03:09] If it's something that we all long for, why aren't we better at fulfilling that desire?
[00:03:17] So it turns out through all the studies that very smart scientific people do, one of the biggest reasons why we're terrible at being happy is we're terrible at predicting what will make us happy.
[00:03:29] So we all have these ideas that if this were to happen, then I would be happy.
[00:03:34] Sometimes that looks like, you know, things that we purchase. Like, if I could just buy this, maybe it's a house or a car or a new outfit or something that's gonna be like, that's the thing.
[00:03:47] We get it. We think this is the best. But have you ever bought something new and like, five seconds later, the shine has worn off?
[00:03:55] I have closets filled with things that are no longer delightful to me. Right. We have big yards filled with junk of things that were once wonderful. It's not as fun. It's not exciting. Or maybe it was something that you ate. If I could just have that piece of cake, then I will be happy. Right? Or maybe you've been doing a certain diet and you're like, maybe if I could just have that piece of bread, that bread will make me happy. And the good feeling didn't last.
[00:04:26] Or it was Halloween last night. Who said, I'm just going to have one piece of candy and then 10 pieces of candy later? Didn't taste as good, did it? Right. It kind of wears off on us. Or maybe it was an accomplishment. Like, if I could just achieve this, maybe it's a job or a goal or something for your family. If I could just get here, then I'll be happy.
[00:04:47] And so what happens is many of us have these things we think will make us happy that never do.
[00:04:54] I recently read this book. It's called the five resets. And Dr. Aditi Nuroker, very cool name. She says, what happens is there's two different types of happiness that we reach for, and they affect our brains and our body differently. One is very fleeting. One lasts longer. The first one is hedonic happiness, which you've done this. It's centered on pleasure and consumption. Makes me feel Good. So it's the treat, the splurge, the Netflix binge. It feels like a gift. I'm giving myself a candy bar. Felt like I was giving myself a gift last night. Anybody had that little treat. Okay, she said, but what happens is these type of pleasures. It floods our brain with dopamine. We feel good, it's a rush of joy. And in small doses it's not terrible. But in larger, more frequent doses, our brain doesn't have the same appeal. It doesn't have the same rush, the same hit. Which is why the third piece of cake isn't as good as the first piece of cake. And it can't be our primary source of happiness because it's always short lived and it leaves us discontent. I always want more and it's less and less exciting over time.
[00:06:05] The other type of happiness is eudaimonic happiness. And this while it's not centered on the pleasure, it's on meaning and purpose.
[00:06:13] And she said, as human beings, we're looking for meaning in life, we're looking for purpose. And she said this kind of happiness is like a pot of gold because you can always level up your experiences that create meaning and purpose in your life. And it's not short lived. It's an experience that goes on and on and it creates a contentment that lasts and lasts. So it's activities like donating to a cause or serving somebody, learning a new hobby that you get to use your hands on, or helping someone in need. But here's the thing that stuck out to me. I loved how she compared it. She said it's the difference between feeling good and doing good.
[00:06:55] Feeling good is very short term gratification while doing good leads to long term meaning and purpose.
[00:07:04] So when all of us are saying we want to be happy, we've been chasing these things. Feel good, happy, emotions that don't last, instead of the doing good happy, which creates meaning and purpose for our life.
[00:07:19] And I think this is really important for us because if we really want to be the men, the women that God has created us to be, we have to think about how we accomplish this in a different way. Not just do I feel good, but am I doing good? Am I living with purpose? And so today we're gonna look at what Jesus tells us in Matthew chapter 5. And instead of thinking happiness is just always out of reach, something I can't quite get, how do I experience the life that God has created me for? And this is what Jesus tells us in Matthew 5, starting at verse 13, he says, you are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?
[00:08:04] It's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. He says, you're the light of the world. A town built 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 gives light to everybody in the house.
[00:08:23] In the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
[00:08:30] I love these two verses. Cause Jesus just, He says so much in them. We could spend a month unpacking this. But I won't. I promise I'll only do like 23 minutes.
[00:08:41] He tells us, here, let me tell you who you are. Your salt and your light. And he gives us these illustrations about what salt is and what light is. And salt's valuable. We all have salt somewhere in our kitchen, right? You'd use it for cooking. You use it for flavor, for your food. It adds value.
[00:08:59] And it was a necessary thing, especially in the ancient world that Jesus was talking in.
[00:09:05] And then light is a game changer. Not a lot we can get done in the dark. We need light to show us everything and show us the way. I am very grateful for the headlights in my car. When it's pitch black outside, right, I can't see anything. But my lights narrow my focus and show me what's in front of me and show me the way to go.
[00:09:24] But there's always something beautiful about light too. Anybody see fireworks this summer?
[00:09:30] We were at one of the high school football games and it was the homecoming games. They did a big fireworks show afterwards. There's something just so delightful, something beautiful about these pops of color in the dark sky. It's captivating, right? There's like a wow factor. And it's just light and sound, but it's something so beautiful.
[00:09:52] But before we go into the specifics of those, I think it's really important to start here. Salt and light have purposes, necessary purposes. And so when Christ says, you are salt, you are light, what he's telling us is we have a purpose.
[00:10:10] And I think it's important for us to hear this because sometimes it's easy to forget this. In the day to day rush and flow of life. You were made on purpose, for a purpose.
[00:10:20] God doesn't make mistakes.
[00:10:23] God doesn't mess up in creation. You're part of what he intentionally created for the world.
[00:10:30] Who you are, where you are, what your capabilities Are. They're all places that God works through for a purpose.
[00:10:41] And I think sometimes we miss that because life tells us one thing. The demands of life tell us something. Work tells us something, Family tells us something, Friend tells us something. Culture's telling us something.
[00:10:52] And we forget that there is a God who loves us, who created us, knows us, and put us in this world at this time, in this place, for a very specific purpose. I love Rick Warren. He said nothing matters more than knowing God's purposes for your life.
[00:11:14] Nothing can compensate for not knowing them. Not success, wealth, fame, or pleasure.
[00:11:21] Without a purpose, life is motion without meaning, activity without direction, and events without reason.
[00:11:30] Without a purpose, life is trivial, petty, and pointless.
[00:11:35] And I think in the flow of life, some of us get caught in the circle of I'm moving, there's activity, but it doesn't feel like it means anything.
[00:11:45] It doesn't feel like it's living out a purpose.
[00:11:48] And so our starting point is remembering.
[00:11:51] I don't care who you are or how old or how young or what season of your life you're in, God made you on purpose. And when we live in that purpose and know that purpose, our life finds meaning and direction we just couldn't find anywhere else.
[00:12:11] This purpose helps us to know who we are, but also who we aren't. Sometimes knowing what not to do is worth its weight in gold just as much as knowing what to do and knowing that we were made for a purpose. It helps us prioritize what's most important in our life and let go of the things that aren't as important.
[00:12:33] So I think a visual is helpful here. I like visuals to help me put this into order.
[00:12:38] Stephen Kobe wrote a really good book, 7 Habits of Highly effective people. Anybody read it?
[00:12:43] So good. If you haven't put it on your to be red pile, it's good. It'll help you. And he uses this visual, it's his third habit, which is putting first things first. And see, we are all organizing our life every single day around what's most important.
[00:12:59] And so there's different seasons, different moments in our life where what's important changes. But he said, to really do that, well, you have to decide what's most important.
[00:13:09] And so he used this illustration. He'd peel out this big jar, and he said, to know what's most important, that's your big rock. And so when he would have the jar, he'd put the big rocks in the jar first. And then after he put the big rocks in, he'd put little teeny tiny gravel rocks in. And then after he'd put little teeny, tiny gravel rocks in, he'd fill it with sand. And you'd all look at it and be like, it's full. You can't fill anything else in there. And then he would pull out water and he'd pour water in and it would fill up because there was space in between those things. And he said, when you know what's most important, the big rocks go in first, the little rocks go in second. The sand, the gravel, those go in later, and then the water can fill it all up. But if I do that in reverse, if I put the least important things in first, if I put the water in first, I could probably get some sand and gravel in there. But what happens when I try to put the big rocks in? It all comes splashing out, right? It doesn't fit and there's no room. And he tells us this illustration because we're really good at filling our lives with the small things, the inconsequential things. They're loud and they're demanding, and everybody says they have to happen right now, but we're really good at putting those things first and saying, well, I don't have time for the other things. I know that's important. I know I should be doing that, right? Like, everybody tells me I should exercise.
[00:14:28] Turns out it's really good for you, but who has time to exercise? Or, I know I should be reading my Bible, but my day is so busy. Who has time? We're really good at filling our lives, keeping our lives busy, the activity, the motion.
[00:14:43] But how often do we look back and say, is my life filled with the most important things first?
[00:14:49] Or have I let all the little inconsequential things crowd out any space for the most important things?
[00:14:58] And when you think about that, it helps you focus. How do I spend my time? How do I spend my energy? And where is my heart most focused on?
[00:15:08] And if we're honest, you don't have to say it out loud. You can just think it in your head. If we're being honest, we can think about all the not important things that we have filled our life with.
[00:15:18] We can think about all the things that have zero payoff in the long run. But, man, they've taken up a lot of my time, a lot of my energy, and a lot of my focus.
[00:15:30] Nobody gets to decide that for you. Only you get to pick.
[00:15:35] And so we have to decide. When I evaluate my life, what am I saying yes to? And what am I saying no to good is always going to be the enemy of great.
[00:15:46] There's always going to be something that is loud and urgent and needs me. But is it the most important thing?
[00:15:52] Because our goal isn't just living busy, moving, fast paced lives, but are we living productive, meaningful, value filled lives?
[00:16:03] Because if we aren't intentional and when we stop paying attention, our life very easily fills up with the least important things and we miss the most important and we feel that sense of happiness is just out of reach.
[00:16:20] Because the things I thought I wanted that would make me happy aren't giving me what I thought they would.
[00:16:27] So I want to ask you a question. You can write it down, you can think about it this week, you can pray over it. Are you living on purpose or are you living on autopilot?
[00:16:36] Because autopilot is very easy to click into when you have to do this and do that and be here and go there. And if you have a family, you've got a schedule to keep. And organizations and people have to be fed.
[00:16:47] So many people have to be fed. How are they still hungry? I don't understand anybody else.
[00:16:53] And so it's easy to just get into a routine that you do over and over and over again. But you start just floating through your days doing the same thing today that you did yesterday. You never stop and say, well, is that habit really good? Is it helpful? Is it doing anything in me that it should be doing? The motion is there, but not the meaning.
[00:17:14] The activity is happening, but not in the right direction. Autopilot's easy to get into, but living on purpose is where the important meaning things happen. It's actively engaging in your life.
[00:17:30] It's reminding yourself every day, this is who I am. This is who I follow.
[00:17:35] This is who God says I am.
[00:17:38] I am a child of God. I am created on purpose for a purpose. Today I live that out. I mean, wouldn't your day maybe even just look different if like 30 seconds to a minute you started with something like that? I am a son of God. I am a daughter of God. This is who God says I am. And you remind yourself, today I'm gonna live that out. Today I'm gonna live on purpose with God.
[00:18:10] God doesn't make mistakes. You aren't here by chance, by accident, by some random assignment of things working out a certain way. You're here because God is actively at work.
[00:18:25] You're alive in this moment, in this time to do something.
[00:18:30] What are we doing if God created us for a purpose? Am I doing anything in my life? That has meaning, that has purpose, that. That has value.
[00:18:41] And so I love starting with that. Because when I think about God creating me on purpose, for a purpose, I get to look at salt and light different.
[00:18:49] I get to look at what salt and light do as almost a temperature gauge for am I living on purpose by being salt and by being light?
[00:19:01] So the first question is, am I living on purpose? Am I living actively engaging in who God created me to be?
[00:19:08] Or have I just turned on autopilot and I float through the days?
[00:19:12] So here's what Jesus gives us in salt and light. He gives us a way to kind of evaluate these things. So let's look at salt first.
[00:19:19] Salt makes things better. Have you ever cooked and you forgot to put the salt in and there's like a bland. It's not as good. There's something about baking. Baking is like a science to me. I think some people are so good at it. Some things are beyond me. I just stop even trying to make them because the grocery store does a really good job making them, and I don't have to try so hard.
[00:19:40] Salt adds flavor and it makes things better. So when we think about salt in that way, and Jesus says, you are the salt of the earth, what he's saying is, every single day when you live on purpose, you can make something better.
[00:19:55] You have the ability in your life right where you are right now, to make something better. You can make a person's day better by encouraging them. You can make your workplace better by helping out and maybe doing something that nobody asked you to do.
[00:20:12] You make something better for your family.
[00:20:15] You make something better here in the church. The church is beautiful. When everybody shows up and just loves Jesus and gives the best of themselves, that makes the church a better place.
[00:20:26] You can make something better in this world by helping one person in one place at one time.
[00:20:33] I know sometimes I see all the problems that exist in the world, and it feels slightly overwhelming. Anybody else. Like, you watch the news and you're like, well, it was a good life. Thank you, Jesus.
[00:20:44] Glad I got to enjoy it while I could. It's coming to an end quickly, though, and it feels overwhelming, like there's nothing I could do that would even put a dent in the sea of the problems that exist.
[00:20:57] But then you think of what Jesus said, and he said, you can make something better right now. You don't have to save everybody, but you can make a difference for one person, and that's the world to them every day. You can make something better. You can add value. You can look for something that you can do to contribute to being salt in the world.
[00:21:21] Maybe it's working hard and giving the best of yourself. Maybe it's lifting somebody else up. Like we're all like, why doesn't anybody see me and recognize me and point out all the things I'm doing? And instead we can turn that and say, maybe I should just recognize somebody else. Maybe I should lift somebody else up and elevate them and point out what an incredible job that they're doing.
[00:21:45] Maybe that means you just stop to listen when somebody is struggling and you just hear what they say without argument, without judgment, without, let me give you a three step plan to fix that. Your plan is probably great. If they followed it, it would probably make it better.
[00:21:59] But maybe they just need somebody to listen.
[00:22:02] Maybe instead of saying, yeah, I'll pray for you, you just stop right where you are and say, can we pray right now?
[00:22:09] What a difference that makes to add value in somebody else's life.
[00:22:14] Maybe you can be present in the moment with your family, even when there's 15 other things that are demanding your time and your tension and they're important, but you just be present with your family right where you are right now in this moment. They call the present a gift because it's so fleeting. Most of us are thinking about, I don't know about you, but my mind is already like 10 steps ahead about what I have to do this week and the problems I have to address and the things that need to get done. And I'm already thinking about, oh, I wish I would have done this differently. And I'm gonna do like, we're in the past and we're in the future and we're going back and forth. I regret this. I wish I could do this.
[00:22:50] But right here in the moment, this present moment, this is a gift.
[00:22:55] And being able to just appreciate that with your people, your family, your friends, your spouse, that's a gift you give them by being present with them in the moment.
[00:23:06] Maybe by making something better, you just give more of yourself. Maybe there's some time you can give away to help somebody else. Maybe it's giving generously, sacrificially. Maybe it's your affection, your energy, your time that makes the difference for somebody.
[00:23:23] Maybe it's as simple as just be nice to somebody.
[00:23:26] Just show up and say thank you or give them a compliment or pay for somebody's coffee, right? Sometimes just being kind makes the biggest difference for somebody else.
[00:23:38] The point is you have potential every single day to add value and make something better.
[00:23:45] Maybe as you think about, like, this is who I am, this is who God created me to be. You ask God, give me the eyes to see one thing I can do today to add value.
[00:23:55] Give me the heart to be open to what you want to do and how I can make something better.
[00:24:01] There's this crazy thing that happens when you ask God and he usually shows up.
[00:24:07] And when you ask him to show you something to do, you're gonna be surprised by how many times he actually shows you something to do. And it might be as simple as, like I said, one of those things you can do, but God will create opportunities. When we say, God, just give me the eyes to see every day how I can make something better.
[00:24:26] You can live on purpose by being the salt of the earth and adding value and making the world a better place every single day, One little kindness at a time.
[00:24:37] But then he says, also, you're light. And I love the beautiful illustration of light because light gives direction. But light always changes the dark.
[00:24:48] And the world has a lot of darkness in it. There's a lot of dark spaces, a lot of dark spots that feel hard, that feel scary, that feel overwhelming. But light always changes the darkness. It does not matter how small that light is. When my brother was in sixth grade, he had a sixth grade camp, and my mom couldn't go. So she's like, hey, would you be a chaperone? And I was like, I don't know, 20, 21. I was like, sure, that sounds great.
[00:25:19] And I did the sixth grade chaperone. And it was out in the woods and the cabins. And I was the person that I was like, hey, kids, I have the candy and the pop in my car. Who wants a snack? Made me a really popular chaperone, I'm not going to lie. But it was one of the cool things that we did was we went on a night hike. And when you do a night hike, it's pitch black. And so you have to wait for your eyes to get acclimated to. You're out in the middle of nowhere. There's no street lights, there's no strip malls that are going to, like, it's dark. You're in the woods, there's nothing for miles and miles. And then you have a guide that you really have to pay close attention to and follow. And then you're an adult responsible for the children so nobody can get hurt. So they took us out on this hike. It was a really cool experience. And out when we reached one of our destinations, they gave Everybody. A wintergreen lifesaver. I don't know if anybody's ever done this before. Have you done it? And what you do is you bite the lifesaver and it makes a spark in the dark. It's so cool. If you ever get a chance to do it, I'm like trying to crunch on this thing, but it does. It's like the smallest little spark of light. It's a really cool thing. So of course the children are wowed and amazed. But even that small little spark changes the darkness because it's a burst of light. And light always changes the dark. It doesn't matter how big it is.
[00:26:40] It doesn't need to be a giant, bright shining lighthouse. All those are beautiful and necessary. Sometimes just the littlest spark of light makes all the difference in the world.
[00:26:51] Jesus said, you are the light of the world. A town built on a hill can't 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.
[00:27:08] See, when Christ is in me, his light is what's shining out.
[00:27:13] The more Christ is in me, the more his light is coming out of me. And. And here's the truth. What's in you is what comes out of you in the scariest, hardest moments of life. And if you've ever been startled before. Has anybody ever liked, I hate jump scares this time of year, with all the things that they have set up, that will move or they jump out at you.
[00:27:36] Hate. It does not bring out my best self, you guys.
[00:27:39] But when you're startled, what comes out of you, right? Sometimes it's no big deal. Sometimes it's like, oh, I'm so sorry I said that in public, out loud. I apologize. Jesus, forgive me, right?
[00:27:49] But what's in us is what comes out. And when life gets hard and we are taken off guard by the problems that come up or the sickness that comes up or the hurt that comes up, it's not like you have six months to prepare. You just go with what's already inside of you.
[00:28:07] And what's in you is what comes out.
[00:28:10] And so how much is Christ in you right now?
[00:28:13] How much of his light is already permeated the dark spaces of your heart, of your life, of your mind?
[00:28:21] Because Jesus also said, out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. And what Christ is doing in me is what comes out of me for good or for bad. So if. If Christ is at work and good, I've got good. That's going to come out. If I haven't spent time with Christ, there's nothing of him in me to come out of me when life gets hard.
[00:28:44] But Christ at work, in you. Please.
[00:28:47] It doesn't have to be a huge spark. It can be the smallest spark of light. When that is Christ's work inside of you, it always changes the dark and it's vibrant and it's beautiful and it cannot be put out.
[00:29:04] Which means if Christ is gonna be at work with me, in me for me, I gotta spend some time with Him.
[00:29:12] This is one of those important things that needs to go into me organizing my life. First time with Jesus Christ.
[00:29:19] How much time do I spend with him day after day after day?
[00:29:23] We know we find him in the Bible.
[00:29:26] Studying Matthew is such a fun way to learn more about Christ and who he is and what he said and how he treated people and what he did when people showed up and how he helped and how he challenged culture at the time. It's a beautiful way to learn about Christ.
[00:29:41] But outside of hearing a verse on Sunday, do I spend any time with him throughout the week?
[00:29:47] Do I have it on my calendar to say, this is my time and it's going to be maybe a podcast while I'm driving? Or it's me getting up 10 minutes early to spend a few minutes reading about Christ and getting to know Him.
[00:29:59] Because if we aren't careful, we organize our life and those little things take priority and they squeeze Christ out more and more from having the first place in my life.
[00:30:11] But here's what I want you to hear.
[00:30:13] You will be better at everything else, no matter how important it is, no matter how urgent it is.
[00:30:19] The more you love Christ first.
[00:30:21] When Christ is first in my life, I'm better at my job.
[00:30:25] When Christ is first in my life, I'm better for my family.
[00:30:29] I promise they can tell the difference because there's the grouchy me, and then there's the God's got this I trust in him, me. And they respond to life very, very different.
[00:30:40] And you will be better at everything else that you say matters if you put Christ first.
[00:30:46] And you have to just say, this is my time with Christ. Nothing steps on it. I'm reading my Bible today. I'm listening to this sermon. I'm quieting my heart. I'm praying, praying. Time with God comes first because the more time we spend with him, the more his light shines out of us.
[00:31:04] And here's the truth. The world doesn't need more people telling them just how Terrible things are.
[00:31:10] But that does need people who will shine the light of Jesus Christ in every place that they go.
[00:31:16] Who will share the hope of Jesus Christ? That God's not done yet. And, yes, this is bad, but what else might God do? If God's not done yet, we're not done yet. What else might God show up and change?
[00:31:29] The world has a lot of dark corners, but the light of Jesus Christ is always stronger than the dark. And we get to be his light in the world, shining people to see. Look at how good God is.
[00:31:43] But here's the question.
[00:31:45] When people look at my life again, you can think this out loud. You don't have to say it out loud.
[00:31:50] Think it in your head. You don't have to say it out loud. You can tell Chet later.
[00:31:54] When people look at what I do every single day, when people hear what I say, the people who are closest to you are usually the best gauge of this. Are they looking at my life and what I do and say and thinking, wow, God really is good.
[00:32:09] Wow. There might be something different about God. I see what you're doing. I see what you're saying. And life with Christ has really made a difference in your life. Some people knew us before we knew Jesus. And they're like, something has changed.
[00:32:24] I can see it. It's obvious.
[00:32:26] Or when people look at our lives, what we say, what we do, how we live, are they thinking, yeah, that's just kind of what I thought.
[00:32:35] Hypocrite.
[00:32:37] Church isn't really that good. It's just people saying one thing and doing another.
[00:32:41] Like, what of Jesus shows up in me, in how I live.
[00:32:47] Because most people around us, the first step in seeing who Jesus is is you.
[00:32:53] It's me. The church is more than just this room and this building and the beautiful building that you're building. That's an expression of the church. But you are the church. I am the church. Who we are every single day says more about who Christ is than.
[00:33:09] Than anything else.
[00:33:10] And so we get to look at our life and say, am I shining a light for Jesus Christ in the world? And if not, how do I do better?
[00:33:20] Because what I believe about Christ, it should show up in who I am and what I say and what I do. And I don't know about you, but, man, I want to be the kind of girl that shines the light of Jesus Christ.
[00:33:30] The times I don't get it right? I'm saying, dear Jesus, please forgive me, help me to do better. Cause I want to be that person that the Light of Christ is shining in.
[00:33:40] Here's what's beautiful about these words that tell us. Jesus tells us. When we look at them, they hold true. They make a difference. They change everything because of how Jesus Himself lived them out. When we look at the life of Jesus Christ, Jesus didn't tell us to do something He Himself wasn't doing. Jesus didn't command one thing of us and do another thing himself. He's never asked us us to do more than he was willing to do Himself.
[00:34:09] When you study the life of Jesus Christ, when you get to the end of Matthew, you should be able to say Christ came into the world on purpose, for a purpose. Because before it ever dawned on me that I needed help, that I was in a mess I couldn't fix on my own, God already had a plan in place to save you and to save me. And he accomplished it through Jesus.
[00:34:32] Christ came into the world and he gave the best of himself and exchanges it for the worst that you and I have.
[00:34:40] Not because of anything I've done, but because of who he is.
[00:34:44] He adds value to every single person who calls on his name.
[00:34:51] All of us are better because Christ came into the world and took our part.
[00:34:56] Each of us has a hope, not just for today, but for the future. Because Christ came in and changed everything.
[00:35:04] He's the ultimate light. When we were lost in the darkness and couldn't find our way out, when life seemed overwhelming and too much to bear, Christ shows up and he shines a light in our heart and he shows us a different, better way.
[00:35:19] Christ shows up and he never leaves us lost in the dark. He guides us by the hand into the future, the new hope that we have in Him.
[00:35:30] He shows us love and grace and forgiveness and hope and a second chance. And he is the greatest light that's ever shown.
[00:35:39] When I look at the life of Christ, he teaches me how to live on purpose because he lived with the greatest purpose. He gave his life for the salvation of humanity and the love of God. The Father shines out in him in all that he does.
[00:35:56] Christ is the One who makes everything better. Christ is the ultimate light. And when I live in him, my life finds direction and purpose and meaning and points me in the way to go.
[00:36:10] God created you for a purpose. Your life matters. He sees you. He knows you. He put you where you are right now so that you could add value and shine a light in the darkness.
[00:36:23] You were made for more than just living on autopilot. You were made for more than just coasting through day after day looking for one more thing to make you feel good. God called you by name and he said, you are mine. Let's go.
[00:36:40] God showed up and gave you a purpose when he called you by name into the new life that he has created you for.
[00:36:48] So my challenge, friends, is turn off autopilot, live on purpose, and shift your focus to what might God do next? Cause you never know what he might do in you and through you and around you. And what great he has, what great work he has in store when you show up and say, God, show me the way. Help me make something better and shine your light through me.
[00:37:12] Dear Father, I pray that you would help us. I recognize that that without you it is impossible to do this good work. So I pray for myself. I pray for every friend here and online that you would do your good work in us. I pray that we would be reminded of your good purpose that you created us for. I pray that in you and through you, we would be the men, the women, the church you've called and created us to be, that we would live in this great purpose that you've called us to help us. I pray in Jesus name, Amen.
