Would you open your Bibles please to Matthew 5? Were going to break from our series on Luke for a little while, and well come back to it. The message this morning is going to be called, Out of the Salt Shaker. All of us have heard for many years the rumors about the GM plant shutting down. We think about the ramifications of that, how it will affect not only GM, but all the other companies; thats equally as important. Loss of jobs at Lear… Some of you need to come up afterwards, educate me and tell me the companies that will be affected by this. I want to remember them as well, but the former Gilman Engineering Company; theres another company-the name escapes me-with letters…LSI. Thank you. Come and talk to me afterwards; I need your help. When I talk about the GM situation, Im talking about everybody thats affected by this. When gas prices went up, I guess all of us could read the writing on the wall and knew that something might happen. Still, when it happens, theres a bit of a shock. I still woke up for days afterward going, I cant believe thats going to happen. Really, were praying that it doesnt happen. Theyre still trying to come up with ideas, other autos that we can build here and retool. Theyre talking and negotiating, so theres a possibility that something can happen. We pray that becomes a reality, but, listen, even if it does, good news happens. That limbo period is still a difficult time. To wait for something… If you have a test done on a physical problem, and the doctor says, Well know the answer in a week. Thats a long week. If somebody tells you that you might lose your job this year, you might lose your job next year, but youre going to lose your job; thats a long time. Thats a long time to worry about financial matters, where youre going to live, what lifes going to look like for you and your family; something youve always depended on is taken away. I felt the Lord impressing on my heart that we need to just change gears for a little while. We need to address this topic for our community. The church needs to be salt and light. There are people out there who are struggling with fear. Theyre struggling with anxiety, depression, change, and the church has to have answers to those concerns. So thats what this series will be about. It starts two weeks from today, and its going to be called, Is There Life After GM? Its not just for those who work at GM, LSI or Lear; its for all of us. GM for you might represent a major change, a loss or a potential loss-something that causes you anxiety or dread. How does Gods Word say we cope when those things happen in our lives? So, this series will be for all of us, but its going to be my job and its going to be your job to go into our community and come alongside any of these companies that are going to be affected by this loss and let them know that were praying for them. [We will] let them know that if they would like to come, our church is doing a series that will help them; not just for the moment-not just for now-but I believe a year down the road, two years down the road, this is going to be a tool that well be able to refer back to. [Well be able to say] back in 2008, our church did a series on this, and here you go. Just listen to this. It will bless you. It will help you because its Gods Word. How many of you today know someone personally who works at one of these companies who will be affected if in fact GM closes? You know them personally? Those are the people Im talking about. I dont care if we fill every chair and have people standing in the back. You need to let them know that this is happening. You need to let them know that there is a church that is standing with them and praying. This series will not be political. This is not going to be looking back and pointing a finger of blame. This is going to be about looking to the future. Its going to be about looking ahead. Ive heard people say, Well, you know, Janesvilles going to become a ghost town. Its going to be like another Flint, Michigan. Everybodys going to move away. I dont believe that. There are other people Ive heard say, Its nothing. Its a drop in the water, well be fine and we dont need them. I dont believe that either. I dont think you can lose thousands of jobs in a community and have that not affect the community. Its going to affect us. The key is how are we going to respond to it? Are we going to rise to meet the challenge? Is this going to be the greatest hour for our community? Is this going to be the greatest hour for our church? It can be. It can be, but weve got work to do, and we have to come together. As I think about this, I just kind of vision cast for this series. I thought a good place to start would be in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5. Jesus is speaking to His followers. When He says, You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world, Hes talking to those who would follow Him. Hes talking to those who are saying, We want to go where You go, Jesus. We want to do what You tell us to do. He says in Matthew 5, 6 and 7, (page 958 of pew Bible), Those who follow Me, this is how their lives will be. This is the behavior that will characterize them, the attitudes they will possess. This is the kind of person they will be. So Matthew 5 tells us He went out up on a mountainside, sat down and began to teach them. Notice Jesus sat down. My preferred method of teaching is sitting down right there. Its still there taunting me, tantalizing me. He sat down to teach. Some will say, Well, why do you like to sit down and teach? Every other preacher we see stands up, waves their arms and walks around. If it was good enough for Jesus, its good enough for me, okay? You guys got me off track here. Lets go back to Verse 13. It says, ‘You are the salt of the earth. What do you think that meant? You are the salt of the earth. Its really important if were going to understand the Bible that we kind of put ourselves in the place of the people that the words were spoken to the first time. What would that expression mean to a person 2,000 years ago? It meant something different than what it means to us today. Now salt still enhanced the flavor of food for us today, but it was much more than just something you put on your potatoes or your sweet corn. It was a vital necessity for civilization. Why? Because salt has a preservative quality. Salt prevents decay. Salt prevents meat from decaying and spoiling; so if you caught a fish in the Sea of Galilee, lets have it this weekend. Go ahead and put it in the freezer. You couldnt do that. How would you keep that fish fresh? How would you keep the mean fresh? The salt. It preserved; it staved off this decay. Jesus is saying, You and I are going to be a preservative in our society. You and I are going to be an agent to prohibit corruption and decay. Salt was so valuable that it was used as a means of exchange. Sometimes Roman soldiers were paid a solarium; a portion of their income was paid in salt. That word solarium or that payment of salt is where we get the word salary from. The expression, Hes not worth his salt, civilizations would often settle around where there was salt. Monarchies would control salt. If you had salt, you had power. You had something everybody wanted. You had something of great value. Wouldnt it be nice if it still was like that? You go to a restaurant, and the bill comes. Youd say, Hey, give me your hand. Here you go, and a tip for you too. It would be kind of nice. Its not like that. Ive tried that, but it doesnt work. Jesus is paying the church a compliment here. Hes saying, You are salt. You are light. He doesnt say salt and light is something we will be, something we can be, something we need to strive to be; its something we are now. If we have Christ in our life, through His Holy Spirit, we are now salt and light. The question then is, Is the salt out affecting the world, or is it in the salt shaker? Is the light shining in the darkness, or is it under a bushel? That phrase under a bushel meant it was a big wooden vessel that was used to measure grain, Jesus says, It doesnt make any sense to light a light and then put this big wooden bushel over the top of it. Number one, light was a necessity. They had no electricity. Fires were very hard to start. There were no matches. If you started your wick burning, that was an effort to do that, and you wanted to keep it lit. Jesus says, It makes no sense to take something that is lit and hide it. Hes saying, I have put My light in you. Youre either hiding it or youre letting it shine. Notice Jesus says in that next verse about the light, ‘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. In the same way, let your light shine... Its something you allow. Its something you let happen. …‘that men may see your good works and praise your Father in Heaven. It says, See your good works. Thats a very important distinction right here that I want to talk about. In the Bible, there are two words predominantly for the word good. I want to illustrate this by having us flip one page over to Matthew 7:17 (page 961 of pew Bibles). This is what it says: Jesus is still speaking in the Sermon on the Mount. He says, ‘Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. As we look at our Bibles, we see the word good in two places in that verse, and its the same word, right? Its not so when you look it up in the Greek Bible. In the Greek Bible, that first word good is the word agathos, which means something that is by its very nature good; something that is performing up to expectations; something that is living up to its design and purpose; something that is good and upright. The second word good is a different word. It means callous. Callous means beautify; pleasing to look at; pleasing to see; that which is excellent. So it says if its a good tree, its going to produce beautiful fruit; fruit that is ripe; fruit that is ready to eat; full color. It looks delicious and it looks inviting. Youre attracted and youre draw to it. So what word do you think is used here in Matthew 5, which of those two words for good? Its the second; its callous. Jesus is saying, Let your good deeds, the beautiful things your life does, draw glory to God. What He is saying here is if you and I are living these principals in Matthew 5-the Beatitudes, Matthew 6, Matthew 7; if were living out what Hes called us to do-and thats not a bad exercise, its not a bad thing to do. Tonight, go home and read the Sermon on the Mount. He says, If youre living these principals, you are going to stand out. Your life is going to be something beautiful to see; your life is going to be something attractive; your life is going to be something compelling; your life is going to be something people would be drawn to; your life is going to be something people might aspire to because you are allowing them to see Me through you. Notice He says that men may see your good works and praise your Father in Heaven. What does that mean to you as far as what must have transpired? If youre looking at my life and you see something exemplary, something attractive in my life, and theyre able to equate that with God and give glory to God for that, what must have happened? Some sort of a verbal witness, right? Because if all Im doing is good things in my life, Im showing compassion, mercy, love and grace, and I dont say anything about the Lord, then people are going to go what a great guy; what a neat lady; and whos going to get the glory? Not God, you. So that statement, there was an implication of the church giving glory to God, that God is the reason I am whom I am; or a reason I have done what I have done; or the source thats enabled me to give or to serve or to share what Ive shared. Sometimes thats difficult for us. Its difficult for us-it seems like-to open our mouths. Well get right to the edge, and then well be silent. We need to break that pattern. Growing up in Rockford, I became a Bulls fan at the very early age. We had some pretty bad teams until this player from North Carolina was drafted by the name of Michael Jordan. I watched him play in college and in the pros, and he was my favorite player. He retired from basketball. It was a very sad day for me. His father passed away. His father was murdered. It seemed like he was just searching for his identity. Maybe part of his grieving process, I dont know, but for awhile, he went to play minor league baseball in the White Sox franchise for a team called the Birmingham Barons. We were on vacation, a family vacation, down south, and I said, Look, the Birmingham Barons are going to be in town. Were not far from Alabama. Lets swing to Alabama, and maybe well watch Michael Jordan play baseball. So we did that, and I said, Lets go to the ballpark early, get our tickets, then well go get a bite to eat and then well come back. Wouldnt it be something if I got to see him? What would I say if I saw him? Well, we get there early. We go to buy the tickets. We were probably there two hours before the game time, and there is Michael Jordan. He just came walking out of the dugout, from about me to John. Heres my opportunity. I can say something. There arent thousands of people around. Its just us, and I can actually say something to him. So while hes walking our way, Im thinking, Well, I can say this. No, that sounds stupid. I can say that. He might think thats dumb. What if he ignores me, or what if he makes a face or thinks what I just said was stupid? All these things are going through my mind, so by the time he gets in front of me and I have my video camera on my shoulder, all that I say is this: There he is. (Congregation laughing.) Thats it! I look back, and I just kick myself. I get so angry. I though what if I would have struck up a conversation? What if I would have said something? What is the risk reward factor? The worst thing that could ever happen was maybe hed say something sarcastic or whatever and hurt my feelings. The chances of that are pretty slim. He could ignore me, and that would embarrass me in front of my family. Hes probably not going to do that either, but on the upside, he might come over and we might have a conversation. Maybe wed be best buddies today, pen pals. Ill never know because I didnt take the risk. Some of you get close and youre just about ready to offer to pray or offer to share your testimony; invite them to church; share a Scripture or share something in your life. Youre just about ready, and then the thought comes into your mind, Well, what if they misinterpret this? What if they ignore this? What if this makes them angry? What if they reject me? Friends, what you need to be thinking about is the risk reward. The worst case scenario happens, how really bad is that? What about the upside? What about if they do say, Yes, you can pray with me? What if they do listen to your story? What if they do come with you to church? Wheres the upside on that? Its way up here. Friends, its a gamble or a risk thats worth taking. They might see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. Does this sound to you like Christianity is this private thing that you live, is lived within your church and doesnt go beyond the four walls of this church? No. He says you are the salt of, what? The earth. You are the light of, what? The world. The world in here? The worlds out there. Is the earth in here? The earths out there. What Jesus wants to do-if you think of Faith Community Church as a salt shaker, and each of you are grains of salt, He wants to take us up, tip us and start sprinkling us all over Rock County-start making a difference in our world, giving people hope, giving people direction. This is a pro-active thing Jesus is talking about here. This is really a command to go. When He says, You are the light of the world, Hes telling you to go. Hes telling you to speak. When he says, Youre the salt of the earth, Hes saying it doesnt do any good to be the salt shaker. You have to be out in the world that youre seeking to affect and make a difference. I want to share with you an amazing story this morning. This is a story that is happening even today. There are pages being added to this story. There was a man in Japan whose name is Yukio Shige. If Im getting that wrong, you dont know the difference. Ive been working on my Japanese. I can speak some Japanese. You might not even want to interpret this, but some words Ive learned (Pastor Jeff speaks several Japanese words here). These are some Japanese words. How many of you know what Im talking about? Okay. A lot of major league baseball fans out there, and I was trying to impress you too. Those really are Japanese words. This gentleman had a job, and on this job, he received a letter from a couple that was distraught. They had financial problems. They didnt know what to do. They were elderly, late in life, and they were feeling destitute. He says, Well, listen. Heres the authority. Heres the agency you need to contact, and maybe they can help you. So he sent them there. They wrote a letter, and they explained their situation. It said, Sometimes we just feel like killing ourselves. The agency wrote back and said, We cant help you. Why dont you then go kill yourselves? Whoever it was said that. The couple did. The couple went to a cliff in Japan near where he lived and jumped to their death. This cliff is a place where about 25 Japanese citizens take their lives every year. Its a beautiful setting, beautiful cliffs and the ocean. Every year, over two dozen people jump to their death because they think they have nothing to live for. So Yukio decided to make a difference. He began to dedicate his life to that cause. Two times every day, he walks out to the cliff and starts conversations with people. Some are there just to take pictures, admire the scenery, meditate and read a book. They just have a little chat, and he moves on his way. Many of those people are there to end their lives. Theyre there because theyre destitute. Theyre there because they have no hope. He comes alongside them, and he starts conversations with them. He finds out what theyre going through. There was one particular young man who said that hed come out to the cliff that day to end his life. His mother had passed away. He had no friends, he had all kinds of debt and he had no money. He said, I came to this cliff because it was a beautiful day, and I wanted my life to end on a sunshiny, beautiful day. He said, Thats when I met Yukio. He came here to this cliff, and he talked to me. I found out there was at least one person on this earth who cared whether I lived or died. That made a difference to me. He went home that day, and those two became friends. Since he started to do this, and he had his log there, he has saved the lives of 129 people. That list is probably a little longer today than it was when this story came out last week. Hes still doing it. Hes still on the job. You say, Well, Pastor, what are you saying? Should we go down the river and make sure people dont jump in the river and kill themselves? I dont want you to focus on that aspect. I want you to focus on the destitute situations and peril that people were living in. I want you to focus on this agent of hope, this little source of light, this little grain of salt-what a difference one life made that was proactive; one life who had his radar on; one life that was looking for opportunities to bring hope where there was despair. So hed come alongside those people, and hed give them some resources. Heres a person you can talk to. Heres a person you can call. I care very much about you. I hope that you wont do this. He offered them hope. He said that most of those 129 people, he still corresponds with. He still communicates with. Friends, what would happen if we turned loose hundreds of little Yukios around this community who had the message of Christ to share? What would happen if God took our church and other churches in our community and began to sprinkle us around this town? We could come alongside those who are anxious about their futures; come alongside those who are afraid; come alongside those who are depressed; and even come alongside those who are suicidal and say there is hope. You might say, Well, I dont know what to share. I dont know what Id say. I dont know what to do. All were asking you to do is invite them. Well let Gods Word do the talking; well let Gods Word do the sharing. You just come, and you bring them here. Gods Word, His promise and His Spirit, will give life, and it will give hope. So that is our mission. Next week, we will have something for you to take out and mail, hand to friends or to email out to people inviting them to come to this series. I promise you that theyll be edified, and theyll be ministered to. I hope that youll join me in praying for those families, praying for our community, praying for our church and other churches in our community-that we will be in fact salt and light during this time. Lets pray together. Father, we thank You for the instruction in the Sermon on the Mount. The great compliment that is given to the church, that we are salt and we are light to the world. Its only because of the presence of Jesus in our lives that we are those things. You said that if youre not being salt, which is your purpose, what is your purpose? Its just discarded because its not serving its purpose. Its not teaching that You discard us. Its teaching us that You created us, and You want us here living up to our purpose. Its like a car is made to drive; a chair is made to sit in; food is made to eat; the church is made to be salt and light. If we keep our light hidden-if we keep our salt contained-we are not accomplishing the mission for which You sent us into the world. Its not just about keeping our message contained in this building, but it is about going out into our community-sharing the love, hope and truth of Your Word; sharing the person of Jesus Christ. Lord, help us to be that light. Help us to be that salt. Help like-minded churches in this community to recognize this as an opportunity to minister to families that are troubled, fearful and anxious about the future. With Your help, Your strength, and Your guidance, as You illuminate, as You guide through Your light, we will be seen through this difficult time. Guide the union leaders as they make decisions and as they negotiate. Be with the families as they struggle and all these companies, all these thousands of workers and businesses as they [work through this]. Help us to know that You function by a different economy. The economy of Heaven is not in a recession; its not in a depression. The God who made Heaven and earth is the same God whos watching over us. We commit our lives into Your hands. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.