Setting a Christian Example Through Service and Hospitality

Understanding the concept of being a light in the world

Exploring the symbolism of light in the Bible

Examining the role of service and hospitality in setting a Christian example

Discussing the importance of living a life that reflects God's presence and character

Music Music Today the message is called, What Kind of a Christian Example Are You to the World Around You? When Jesus was on the mountain teaching his disciples the Beatitudes, he said in Matthew 5, verse 16, he said, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds, and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father who is in heaven. You see, light is a common symbol in the Bible. It represents purity, truth, knowledge, and divine revelation, and also God's presence. And the opposite of light is darkness. The Israelites thought of themselves as lights in a dark world. They relied on the law of Moses because God himself had given it to Moses on Mount Sinai. Isaiah the prophet, in Isaiah chapter 42, verse 6 and 7, declares, I the Lord have called you in righteousness. I will take hold your hand and I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles. Gentiles, verse 7, to open the eyes that are blind, to free the captives from prison, and to release from the dungeons those who sit in darkness. And in Romans chapter 2, verse 19, Apostle Paul declared to the Jews, and if you are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who were in darkness. So the Jews were very self-righteous. Paul explained the basis of their boastful pride in this verse. Exodus chapter 19, beginning in verse 4, the word declares, you have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will obey my voice in truth and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own peculiar possession and treasure from among and above all peoples, for the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation, consecrated, set apart to the worship of God. These are the words you shall speak to the Israelites. So Moses called for the elders of the people and told them all the words of the Lord that he had commanded them. The Jews gloried in being members of God's chosen nation. They boasted in their knowledge of God that they obtained through the covenant. They had a good understanding of what is more or less important to God. They looked down on those who were not Jews and felt superior to them. As those, they needed their guidance and instruction, even though Paul, as pointed out earlier, the Gentiles have some light and law in themselves. This is saying that God put within all people born into the earth a sense of right and wrong, and all are without excuse. Ecclesiastes chapter 3 verse 11 declares, He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also planted eternity in men's hearts and minds, a divinely implanted sense of a purpose working throughout the ages, which nothing under the sun but God alone can satisfy. And also in Romans chapter 1, verse 18, For God's holy wrath and indignation are revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who in their wickedness repress and hinder the truth and make it inoperative. Verse 19, for that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God himself has shown it to them. For ever since the creation of the world, his invisible nature and attributes, that is, his eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made, his handiworks, so men are without excuse, altogether without any defense or justification. You see, the Jews believed that everyone was destined for judgment except themselves because they were called the chosen people of God and they also had the knowledge of the law. I wonder how many people sitting in churches today console their consciences with the fact that they carry the light of Christ when they know many scriptures by heart, or they are doing God a favor by going to church, or they sing in the choir or stand behind the pulpit, yet are considered among the category of sinners because of their compromise with sin by living secret lives and violating the commands of scripture and satisfying the lusts of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the lust of the pride of life. It is in the Old Testament where Christ the Messiah called the true light of the world and his disciples are lights in the sense that they are associated and grafted in to Jesus Christ, who is called the light of the world. A good analogy of this would be, the moon is a light, but this is only so because it reflects the light of the sun. Amen. end. So Paul taught in Ephesians chapter 5 verses 8 through 10 saying, for once you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light, lead the lives of the native born to the light. Verse 9, for the fruit, the effect, the product of the light or the spirit consists in every form of kindly, goodness, upright of heart, and the trueness of life. And try to learn in your experience what is pleasing to the Lord. Let your lives be constant proofs of what is most acceptable to him. In all actuality, there are really only two kinds of people in the world. First, there are the believers who in the Beatitudes are called blessed because they are indwelt by Jesus Christ and they know it because of the genuine love they have for him. Jesus describes these people on the day he was on the mountain with his disciples. There were many other people there on that day too, but they were not necessarily the followers of Jesus Christ. It is very important that we review Jesus Beatitudes because all of these Beatitudes identify those who have repented and are broken They are broken because they recognized their sinfulness and truly hated it They had a bitter repentance like Peter did when he betrayed Jesus by saying that he did not know him. Peter actually rejected Jesus in these three times of denying him as his Lord. These people as well ask their Lord for his forgiveness. They have been adopted into the family of God, the family of love. These Beatitudes are like a maturity check for each one of us. As I said, we really need to look at them and look at their significance and what it really means to us. The Beatitude means blessedness. King David in Psalms chapter 32 verses 1 and 2 stated the meaning and the definition of the Beatitudes. In verse 1 he said, Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Verse 2, Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. Each one of the Beatitudes begins saying, Blessed or happy are those. And this means they have received the blessings from the Lord. And one of the meanings of blessed is that of joy. And this is a state of mind that is joyful or happy. And this is because the individual knows his sins are forgiven. His condition or state of mind is happy or blessed. A blessed one because he knows his sins are forgiven and the Lord doesn't hold his sins against him. He is free and his heart genuinely loves the Lord his God. And again, I stress, it is very, very important that we study these Beatitudes of our risen Lord because they will really identify those who are truly Christian examples to the world around them. The first Beatitude is found in verse 3 of Matthew 5. The first one, blessed are the poor in spirit. for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The poor in spirit, we should know, are those who recognize their natural unworthiness to stand in God's presence and who depend utterly on him for his mercy and grace. They do not trust in their own goodness or possessions for God's acceptance. The Jews considered material prosperity as an indication of divine approval, And many of these blessings God promised the righteousness under the old covenant were material blessings. So the Jews, since they hung on with the old laws, they held on to the pride in what they owned and had in the material or physical blessings. The poor in spirit here acknowledges individuals' lack of personal righteousness. They long for more of God's holiness and upright living in their own lives. Now the second beatitude states and is found in verse 4. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Those who mourn or grieve over their sins do so because they are aware of their spiritual emptiness. The Old Testament shows us that spiritual poverty results from sin and true repentance produces contrite hearts just like we have seen in the example of Apostle Peter. The person with a contrite heart weeps over wrongdoing and expresses genuine sorrow for his sin. And because they mourn over their sin They are blessed by God's blessing of being forgiven and set free. Hallelujah. Now the next blessedness is found in verse 5. And this would be the third of one of the Beatitudes. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. You see, meekness here doesn't represent a person who is weak. Not at all. It describes a gentle or meek individual who is kind and gentle in their dealings with others. These people are unpretentious, self-controlled, and free from a vicious or vengeful disposition because of their unregenerate life in Christ. Now, there's a form of evil that manifests itself in a revengeful way to get back at someone because they interpret the actions of others as an offense against them, when in fact this kind of individual cannot discern right from wrong because of their lack of discernment, which comes with the renewed life in Jesus Christ. We just have to look at a person's dealings with other people. A person might acknowledge their spiritual emptiness and mourn because of sin, but to respond meekly when others regardless as sinful is something else. How do you handle it? Are you kind and gentle? Do you go for the juggler? You see meekness in response to the offense of the sinful and spiteful person will be the natural and appropriate way of expressing and handling yourself in genuine humility towards others. well now the next beatitude is found in verse 6 and it says blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness they shall be filled praise the Lord the righteousness that is blessed is hunger and thirst and it's not for salvation it's who hunger and thirst for righteousness is likened to those who are hungry or thirsty in the natural order to satisfy the physical need. But those who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness is to satisfy a spiritual need that only the Holy Spirit can satisfy. When the soul is awakened to the sense of its wants and begins to have a stronger hunger and thirst after righteousness or holiness, that is its proper food. and we know it must be purified by precious Holy Spirit and be made a partaker of that living bread that came down from heaven and is known as our Lord Jesus Christ. The next beatitude is found in verse 7. And Jesus said, Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. You see, a merciful person forgives the guilty and has compassion on the needy and the suffering. A meek person acknowledges to others that he or she is sinful, but a merciful person has compassion on others because they are sinful. The blessing of the merciful is that they will receive mercy from God. If you show mercy, you shall receive mercy from God. understand please Jesus did not mean that people can earn God mercy for salvation by being merciful to others He meant that God will deal mercifully with people who have dealt mercifully with their fellow man Now our next beatitude is located in verse 8. And it says, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Oh, hallelujah. What a promise, dear listener. The pure in heart are those who are single-minded in their devotion to God, and therefore they are morally pure inwardly. Inner moral purity is an important subject in Matthew and the Old Testament. In Proverbs chapter 22, verse 11, the word tells us, He who loves purity, and the pure in heart, and who is gracious in speech, Because of the grace of his lips, he will have the king for his friend. Oh, praise God. Blessed are the pure in heart. And this is saying that they whose minds, their motives and principles are pure, who seek not only to have the external actions and things correct and pleasing to God, but also who desire to be holy in heart and mind are truly so. Man looks upon the outward appearance, but God looks upon the heart. They shall see God. And this is a sense in which all will see God. We see that in Revelation 1, verse 7, the word declares, Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth shall gaze upon him, and beat their breasts and mourn and lament over him. Even so it must be. And this is saying that these will behold him as a judge, not as a friend. In this place, the pure in heart is spoken as a special favor to see the face of God. And also in Revelation chapter 22, verse 4, the scripture also tells us, they shall see his face. So we know that when we see two times or more, that's a confirmation in Scripture, that it is so. To see God means to be his friends and favorites and to dwell with him in his eternal kingdom. No one has seen God in his pure essence without some type of limitations. Jesus said, anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. seeing God is figurative for having intimate knowledge and fellowship with him 1 John chapter 1 verses 1 through 4 give us great insight to this the word tells us as John speaks we are writing about the word of life in him who existed from the beginning whom we have heard whom we have seen with our own eyes whom we have gazed upon for ourselves and have touched with our own hands. Verse 2, And the life and aspect of his being was revealed, made manifest and demonstrated, and we saw as eyewitnesses and are testifying to and declare to you the life, the eternal life in him who already existed with the Father and who actually was made visible was revealed to us, his followers. what we have seen and ourselves heard. We are also telling you so that you may realize and enjoy fellowship as partners and partakers with us. And this fellowship that we have, which is a distinguishing mark of Christians, is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. And now we are writing these things to you so that our joy in seeing you included may be fulfilled and your joy may be complete. In verse 9, we see the next beatitude, which would be the seventh one, of course, which is spoken by our Lord. And he says, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. You see, peacemakers are those who really work to prevent contention and strife and war, who use their influence to reconcile opposing parties and to end hostilities in families and neighborhoods. Friends and neighbors, people of all walks of life, including lawyers, doctors, businessmen, ministers of the gospel, can do much to promote peace in the world around them. Being called a son of God is like being called a child of God because the individual shows forth a spirit like his. Jesus Christ is the author of peace, and all those who endeavor to promote peace are like him. Our Heavenly Father considers us worthy to be called his children. In verse 10, we see the tenth beatitude which says, Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus calls those blessed who are pursued and targeted to be oppressed and maligned because of their religion he said remember if they persecute you they first persecuted me the opposition persecutes believers by character assassination by injuring their names their reputations or property because of their religious opinions and standing on being like God and living a holy life in Christ. For righteousness' sake means because they're righteous or the friends of God and demonstrate Christian values, but they're hated by the world. Understand, dear one, we are not to seek persecution. We are not to provoke it by strange conduct or arrogant confessions about our beliefs. But if in the honest effort to represent one's Christian values and to live the life of a genuine believer in Jesus Christ, others will persecute and revile us. Jesus tells us we are to consider this a blessing. It is evident that we are the true and genuine children of God and we have the promise that he will defend us. Hallelujah, just like Paul. 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 12 declares Indeed all who delight in piety and are determined to live a devoted life, godly life in Christ Jesus, will meet with persecution and be made to suffer because of the religious stand. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven because they have evidence that they are Christians and that they will be brought into the kingdom of heaven and live eternally with our Lord Jesus Christ, their Savior. Praise the Lord. Now, our last beatitude is found in verse 11, and this will be the ninth beatitude. And Jesus tells us, Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Blessed are you when men revile you persecute you say all kinds of things against you You see the word reviled means to bombard with scornful or abusive language to slander, to malign or smear or vilify a believer. And Jesus says his people are blessed when men shall revile you and reproach you, call you by evil and contemptuous names and ridicule you because you are Christians. in John chapter 8, verse 48. They said Jesus was a Samaritan and had a devil. Other places in scriptures, they say that he was mad. They reviled and mocked him when he was upon the cross dying for sinners. But being mocked, being reviled, he did not turn and revile anyone. He set the example for his followers to imitate. If you have ever been slandered or character assassinated falsely, we learn from scripture that one should take it calmly and patiently and consider ourselves blessed. And we do it for our Lord's namesake because we are united to him. Now the very last thing that Jesus instructs in the Beatitudes is found in verse 12. and he says rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven for they persecuted the prophets who were before you now we have seen the outline that Jesus is portraying throughout the nine Beatitudes that depict the foundational Christian behavior and Christ-like nature and character that he desires in each one of his children Dear listener, by conforming to Christ's standards of righteousness and imitating him, this shows our genuine love for him, which results in sincere worship of him. And this is why he created us. We are to love him with all of our hearts, all of our minds, our souls, and everything within us. We are called to be a worshiper of the Most High God. And as we grow in maturity and understanding of this awesome Christian way, Jesus tells us in verse 13, You are the salt of the earth. And he says in verse 14, 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 a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. Verse 16, In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. You see, if we are to be the salt of the earth and light of the world, then we have been commissioned to take the gospel of salvation and share it with those around us. And when we share the gospel of salvation in these last days, we should consider it a great privilege to be serving God in this way and also to be persecuted and suffer if it comes our way. We are called to interact with this world of corruption and darkness. We cannot let our lives be hidden. We live in a day and an hour when we see so many evil things that are so blatantly perverted and sick-minded. And you'll never see it if you are watching the mainstream news media. There are grooming people to fall asleep and believe many lies. This is the cabal at work in these end times. Do your homework. It's time to wake up. This is a good time to examine our own consciences and see as confessing believers in Jesus Christ, what kind of a Christian example am I to the world around me. In John chapter 8, verse 12, when Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Jesus also said in Matthew 5, verse 16, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. One day, this whole universe will be completely transformed by our Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 21 beginning in verse 1, declares, Then I saw a new sky, heaven, and a new earth, for the former sky and the former earth had passed away, vanished, and there no longer existed any sea. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, all arrayed like a bride, beautified and adorned for her husband. Verse 3. Then I heard a mighty voice from the throne, and I perceived its distinct words saying, See, the abode of God is with men, and he will live in camp tent among them, and they shall be his people, and God shall personally be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death shall be no more. Neither shall there be anguish or sorrow or mourning or grief nor pain anymore for the old conditions and the former things have passed away. And he who is seated on the throne said, See, I make all things new. Dear Church, if we carry this true transforming light, it is because we live in and are vitally attached to the one who is the true light of the world. Therefore, as a believer, our lives should manifest this awesome transformation and result in being a firebrand who was taken out of the fire and saved and transformed into one who dearly loves the Lord Jesus Christ and wants to please him in all that we do and say. Let each one of us represent Christ in us to the world around us and make an impact on this earth to save souls by telling them about our wonderful Savior, who out of love for all of mankind went to the cross and died a horrible death to save all who choose him as their Savior, and will be redeemed from the wrath of hell's fire so they can love him and worship him forever in eternity in the glorious bliss of the new city that we just read about in Revelations chapter 21, where God will wipe away every tear and death shall be no more. Neither will there be anguish or sorrow or grief or pain anymore for the old conditions are passed away. Jesus said, See, I make all things new. Let Jesus start with each of us. Let him renew any area in our lives that has been lax or lazy in setting the right example to those around us. Take your Christian life and responsibilities serious today. Tomorrow may never come for many of us. .

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