it’s not about the rules, it’s about…
It’s about Jesus
It's about how his life, his death,
and his resurrection sets us free
from the rules and the lies that
we think keep us from God.
It’s about People
It's about the people who
follow Jesus taking his message
of life and hope beyond our
walls to a broken and hurting
world.
what if we did what Jesus said?
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and
the Holy Spirit. Teach these new
disciples to obey all the commands I
have given you. And be sure of this: I
am with you always, even to the end of
the age.”” (Matthew 28:19–20, NLT)
what if there was a life available to
us that looks much different than
what most of us experience, but is
exactly what God made us for, and
exactly what our hearts long for?
what if this life is not a life that
constrains and restricts, but a life
that is itself truly life
– life outside the box
life outside the box
A LIFE THAT MAKES A
DIFFERENCE
candidates for kingdom life
• persecuted for living the un-grieved life
• makers of peace
• pure in heart
• merciful
• hungry for God’s character
• willingly forgotten
• suffering and mourning brokenness
• broken and spiritual bankrupt
when your heart is in the kingdom,
your life will make a difference
Matthew 5:13–16, (NLT)
““You are the salt of the earth. But
what good is salt if it has lost its
flavor? Can you make it salty again?
It will be thrown out and trampled
underfoot as worthless.
Matthew 5:13–16, (NLT)
“You are the light of the world - like a
city on a hilltop that cannot be
hidden.
Matthew 5:13–16, (NLT)
No one lights a lamp and then puts it
under a basket. Instead, a lamp
is placed on a stand, where it
gives light to everyone in the
house.
Matthew 5:13-16 (NLT)
In the same way, let your good deeds
shine out for all to see, so that
everyone will praise your heavenly
Father.”
a life that makes a difference
WHO YOU ARE MAKES A
DIFFERENCE
“You are the salt of the earth,” (v. 13)
“You are the light of the world,” (v. 14)
• discipleship demands a difference
• the essential nature of the disciple
is to make a difference
• where there is no difference,
there is no disciple
“world”
the arena of our difference is not the
church pew but where there is the
potential for decay and darkness
Matthew 5:13, (NLT)
““But what good is salt if it has lost
its flavor? Can you make it salty
again? It will be thrown out and
trampled underfoot as worthless.
“lost its flavor”
• diluted by impurities
• inherent nature as agent of
permeation is now jeopardized
• becomes worthless
diluting forces
•
•
•
•
•
selfish attitudes
busyness
sense of entitlement
unmerciful attitudes
unconfessed sin
James 1:27, (NCV)
“Religion that God accepts as pure
and without fault is this: caring for
orphans or widows who need help,
and keeping yourself free from the
world’s evil influence.”
James 2:20, (GW)
“You fool! Do you have to be shown
that faith which does nothing is
useless?”
the great scandal of Christendom
“…the great scandal of Christendom today,
[is] so-called "nominal Christianity." In
countries to which Christian civilization has
spread, large numbers of people have
covered themselves with a decent, but thin,
veneer of Christianity. They have allowed
themselves to become somewhat involved;
enough to be respectable but not enough
to be uncomfortable,” (John R.W. Stott,
Basic Christianity).
a life that makes a difference
YOUR PURPOSE IS TO
MAKE A DIFFERENCE
salt - agent of preservation
the presence of a true follower of
Jesus acts as a force against the
decaying forces of sin
light - agent of illumination
the presence of a true follower of
Jesus guides a world groping in
darkness to the only source of true
salvation
Power of Light
the human eye can see the light of a
single candle for up to 30 miles
http://www.livescience.com/33895-human-eye.html
DIM SANCTUARY LIGHTS
Matthew 5:15, (NLT)
No one lights a lamp and then puts it
under a basket. Instead, a lamp is
placed on a stand, where it gives
light to everyone in the house.
Isaiah 49:6, (NLT)
“I will make you a light to the
Gentiles, and you will bring my
salvation to the ends of the earth.”
a life that makes a difference
THE DIFFERENCE YOU
MAKE BRINGS GOD GLORY
Matthew 5:16 (NLT)
In the same way, let your good deeds
shine out for all to see, so that
everyone will praise your heavenly
Father.”
the honor of God –
the point of it all
life of the
kingdom
character
of the
kingdom
witness of
the
kingdom
honor to
God
John 15:8, (NLT)
When you produce much fruit, you
are my true disciples. This brings
great glory to my Father.”
God’s glory or our reputation
• the secret is in the motive
• “…don’t do your good deeds
publicly to be admired by others,”
(Matthew 6:1 NLT)
word and deed
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ
himself and God our Father, who
loved us and by his grace gave us
eternal comfort and a wonderful
hope, comfort you and strengthen
you in every good thing you do and
say.” (2 Thessalonians 2:16–17, NLT)