Matthew 5:1-16b

So verse 7, blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. So what do we have here, the idea of sowing what you reap? In one aspect. What is the idea of merciful? What does that entail? Go ahead.

I think it's the idea of compassion. It has this genesis in the heart. And it's a spare control heart to reach out and compassionately to help somebody.

It's the thought of caring for others and loving compassionately. Just as how a small one does, each and every one of us. Mercy is a manifestation of pity, so it should result in more merciful and more sympathetic caring people.

Right? Right. The result is an action. Merciful is an action.

So that love and compassion that we've been shown should result in an action for others. Matthew 14, verse number 14 says, And Jesus went forth and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and healed their sick. So the eyesight moved his heart to move his hands to help.

And compassion, as Brother Cal's mentioned, not only sees a need, but does something about it. It moves right to the person. So blessed are the merciful.

So if we see a need, what do we do? We pat him on the back and say, we'll pray for you, brother. And we walk off. Here's a person that is, I mean, they are in need.

This is going on this afternoon, and I need help. Oh, we'll pray for you, brother. Too bad for you.

You made your bed and lied in it. That's not mercy. That's not compassion.

Compassion has the eyes see it, to move the heart, to meet the need. And he says, blessed are those type of people. Because when they have a need, they will be shown mercy.

In James chapter 2, we give them what's needful. If we don't give them what's needful, it's not love. And this is a characteristic of the king.

And this is a characteristic of this progressive revelation. In Hebrews chapter 2, our great high priest, two things. He's a merciful and faithful person.

So that's a characteristic of him. Matthew chapter 18 illustrates what characterizes those of us who have experienced mercy. You know the two servants have owed a debt and the master forgave it.

So he goes out and lays hold on his fellow servant. And so the master comes to him and says, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt because thou embarrassed me. Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on my fellow servant, even as I had pity on thee? A solemn warning after that.

But the point is, we who have experienced that mercy, we ought to be quick to show mercy. And it's totally inconsistent, if you will. Too often we are quick to judge and condemn and just dismiss them.

They're done in their Christian life. I don't want to talk to them anymore. As a matter of fact, I don't even want to see them anymore.

That's not showing mercy. The Lord Jesus wasn't like that. And he isn't like that to this very day.

He's a merciful and faithful high priest. He speaks of looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ like an eternal light. So there is a future sense of mercy.

Throughout endless ages, there will be a mercy that will not go away often. So, mercy is eternal. So someone said this is an action thing, right? Correct? Yeah.

Well, does anybody... I'm sure you all do. But... You see somebody. And you see that they need something.

And you just can't get them out of your mind. I mean, you think about it multiple times. This has happened to me in presenting the gospel to people, and I didn't do it, and they died.

So I didn't have any opportunity to do that again. But I wasn't even thinking in that context. I have found that it keeps coming into my head that I should be doing... And it may be just... One of the biggest things... Well, I like to make cookies and pies, so I give cookies and pies away.

But that's beside the point. Can I put in a larder? Sure. Apples, my baby.

What do they need the most? What are people around us that are in the world... What do they need the most? They need salvation. Yeah, they need your presence. They need you to call upon them.

They need you to visit them. To spend time with them. Because there's a lot of lonely people out there.

A lot of lonely people out there. And we're all busy. But that's showing mercy, is it not? Your time is... You're probably the most valuable thing you have.

Are you willing to spend a little of your time with people who need you to spend a little time with? I mean, I'm speaking to myself here, because I've got two people I need to go visit. Because they keep coming to my mind all the time. And one lives a mile away from me, so it's not like it's a big deal.

Just two people? That's... They're in the front of my mind. Just another aside. There's studies that are being taken apart now.

People think that Facebook brings people closer together. It's actually the opposite. All these social media things are actually driving people to be lonelier.

Because they don't actually get interaction. They just get voyeurism. Society itself, people are lonelier and lonelier as all this stuff takes up people's time.

Because they're not visiting one another. So it's very... There's a lot of people that want to be... Want you to listen to them, based on this. A keystroke is a lot different than a handshake.

Yeah. So, when it comes to Ephesians 4, because we were talking about Assembly of Truths. After the gifts are listed, it's speaking the truth and love.

It's so important for us to handle the Word of God, speaking the truth and love. Whether it's a sinner or a saint. But we have to have consideration for people's circumstances when expressing our deepest convictions.

And I think that's part of this verse 7 here that we're looking at. The writer pointed out the greatest example of being merciful to the Lord Jesus on the cross. And he said, Father, forgive us.

For we know not what we do. It's seeking blessing for someone who absolutely does not deserve it. Obviously.

And so, again, the bar is set very high. Blessed are the pure in heart, verse 8, for they shall see God. Pure would be clean, wouldn't it? Well, what can make us pure? Clean from the Word of God.

That's one, that's a good answer. The other, of course, is the blood of Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son, cleansed us from all sin.

So, in order to fit into this, it has to start with cleansing by the blood. And then, now are they clean through the Word which I have spoken unto them. That's chapter 17.

The Word of God keeps us clean. As far as seeing God, well, there's a day in Revelation 22 where we shall see His face. But more than that, if we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie.

We do not for truth. In a practical, internal, spiritual way, we're going to see God, but at least there will be some purity. Purity sometimes is just acknowledging what we really are.

That's as close as we can get to purity sometimes. It's confessing what we are and not pretending to be something else. The Romans, let your blood be without assimilation, without hypocrisy.

Just like the Lord, they saw God in Christ. So, Christ manifested God fully. So, if we are a subject in His kingdom, who are we manifesting? It really comes down to that.

Who is my Lord? What kingdom am I expressing by my action toward other people? My attitude about myself. My attitude about God. My attitude where I get my sustenance.

All those things are representing something to others. And that purity, that internal, my motives, those desires, all those things, when they're in alignment with God, I'm going to be showing God to others. I'm not going to be hard on people.

The hardness of Christ Jesus was not hard on people. He was holy, but He wasn't hard. He was kind and compassionate and caring because He understood who people were.

And that's where I see my problem is. I can look at an individual and instantly make a snap judgment and be hard on them without understanding their situation. As an example of that, when a rich young ruler came to him, he couldn't say, You haven't done this, you've done this, you've done this, you've done this.

And instead, he just sidesteps it and says, do this. And the result wasn't the same because he went away. But he didn't go away because of the way the Lord Jesus handled it.

He went away because of the problem. I think that was a good question. Is there a difference between cleanness and pureness? It's already been commented on real well.

I came across a really simple illustration on that point. And again, I agree on the pureness of really being an individual that sees God. In other words, you're not distracted by the world.

Oftentimes, if you hear a Christian feel or express that they're having a hard time seeing the Lord, really the likelihood is that it's, again, distraction by the world that is leading them off to one side. But the simple illustration is, is soap clean? And the answer is, well, yes, soap is clean. Well, ivory soap, they make this advertisement that theirs is pure soap.

So really, what's the difference? Well, the other soaps are not anywhere near the 99% pure soap that ivory claims to be. They've got deodorants, they've got coloring, they've got all these additives in them to try to make them more pleasant one way or another. So, again, there's a difference between clean and pure.

So, I don't know if that helps any or not. But again, so to be of a single mind, a single heart, to really have a view to see Christ is really not to try to bring all other things into my life that are apart or separate from Christ. I had three things under this.

Unmixed motives, holy thoughts, and a clear conscience. So, purity of heart has to do with the inner light of a person. And the most important thing is our communion with the Lord.

Is that the idea? If we are living in fellowship with the Lord. Like Hannah and I a long ago, we loved the things that God loved, and he hated the things that God hated. That's the book of Nehemiah.

Well, on this also, I don't know if there was a question there or not. On this also, purity can be by the fire. We can be purged through judgment.

Or even abiding in Christ in John 15. To be trimmed so we dare to do. So, it's not just... Pardon me? That's really a necessity.

Yeah. For all of us. Blessed are the pure in heart.

The idea, my understanding is, has been cleansed. This has been done to you. Now, live in what has been done to you.

And that's an internal thing. It's in the heart. So, it's not in what I put on Facebook.

What has always amazed me is people, they preach on Facebook and yet... Then all of a sudden some other stuff goes on there. Why are you putting those two even on the same page? It's just so bogus. Don't do that.

Because it starts in your heart. It's in your heart. And that's the individual that's going to see God.

That's the idea of a future. This is a future thing that's going to take place. So, it doesn't mean, okay, I'm going to be pure in heart at this one second.

And in the very next second see God. This is my characteristic of my life. This is what's going to happen.

It's a product of a seed that's being sown. It's a product that's going to come from that. And this reminds us of the beauty of the Lord Jesus.

Without spot. Let's appreciate Him again. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

If you look at the Lord Jesus, He made peace by the blood of His cross. We can appreciate that again. But for us to be peacemakers, does that mean we're just supposed to run around and smooth over everybody's problems? What does that mean? Just carry that big gun and call the peacemakers.

Is that what it is? James reminds us, the loop that is from above is pure. Not a piece of it. And just as the peace that Christ has made is righteous peace, that gives me enjoyment.

It's not like I've come up through under some sort of loophole and I've got to worry that sometime the real facts will come out. No. God has fully justified me.

And it's done right. So in order to reach peace, it has to be done righteously. And the Lord Jesus has done it righteously.

And if we're going to be peacemakers, it's not, it can't be done by forcing one side to give in and contrary to what's righteous. It takes extreme wisdom. But it's an attitude of heart.

It's easy to be a troublemaker. It's nearly as easy to be a peacemaker. It's only used one time in our Bible.

It's right here. The idea is to love peace. This is a dimension.

I want to stay in the pathway of the dimension. Think about, during the millennial reign of Christ, children are born with a sinful nature. And they need to be born again and come into the kingdom of God.

But here, the saints, blessed are the peacemakers. There's going to be tribulation for a lot of people in the millennium. So this also applies.

It's a verse in Romans 14 that fits in well. Verse 17, it says, For the kingdom of God is not need and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men.

That fits in nice with our chapter. And that follows from Romans 12. It seems fit to be possible.

As much as I've been good at peace-making with all men. So, in other words, the believer should not be the cause of any trouble. The believer's goal is to be a peacemaker.

If there's trouble that's coming from the other side, it may not come up. Hebrews 12 and 14 fit in as well. It says, Follow peace with all men in holiness.

Without which no man shall see the Lord. I think that brings both the previous verse here and this one together. And the peacemaker is fully satisfied.

And it says, For they shall be called the children of God. Just think of that. When a person is making peace, it's God-likeness.

It's really to appreciate that afresh. Tremendous to think that we have that ability. To call the children of God and to produce Christ-likeness in that capacity.

So, making peace, would that involve removing the problem, or removing what the barriers are between the two or between the whatever? Removing those barriers. Coming in and recognizing the barrier for what it is and then seeking to remove the barrier. Not just coding over it, but removing that barrier so that there's a true harmony, a true peace between the two or between the individuals.

Isn't that the root of Matthew 18? Matthew, yeah. Well, in Colossians, I was thinking, having made peace by the blood of the cross. That's another root word for this.

Or root word, I think it is. Similar. This is the only mention of this word.

There are barriers. Something is involved. You remove those barriers and bring the two together.

Somebody said that takes wisdom. The question was asked whether these are progressive. I would believe that these are progressive.

All these previous ones are adding up to you. If all these are taken care of, peacemaker will be what you are. To bring it into the millennial age, we're on the opposite end of the millennial age in the day we live, meaning sin is pervasive in our society and it's going to be the exact opposite of the millennial age.

The other thing that's going to be marvelous about the millennial age is that there hasn't been a nation that has lasted much beyond 200 years in its authority or power, and the thousand-year reign is going to be relatively absent of war. I don't believe there's going to be war in the millennial age. And that's because these things are pervasive of the whole kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Can a person be a peacemaker if he's not pure in heart? No. Because if a person has an ulterior motive to get two people together, well, I'm going to teach this guy a lesson. Nope, not a peacemaker.

See, that's an incorrect representation of our Lord Jesus. We're not manifesting God that way. There's no doubt that blessed are the peacemakers.

If we were to be honest, not everybody would love all others and stuff, but blessed are the peacemakers. I'm able to be a peacemaker now. I look back and realize, you know, that in times past I had no desire and no care for making peace.

I would look to sow discord. I would look to be rude. I would look to be off in every way and maybe took pleasure in that.

And now, because of the preciousness that I've come into, and this speaks for each and every one of us here that are saved, because of the preciousness of our Lord and our Savior, what He has done on our behalf, there lies within us now a heart that is pure and desires to go forth to be a peacemaker and to do that, to be Christlike and Christ-honoring. And no doubt, we want to be peacemakers. And they shall be called the children of God.

That's what we are. The children of God. We can go forth all in that way.

I couldn't do it before. I didn't have love. I didn't have a care in that way.

And now, because of Christ, because of the goodness I've come into, I can and I will. And because you're growing, how can you do it? Just as we read, you can be Christlike in comfort. You can call to one side as we've considered being comforted.

You can do the same thing and we all can for others. So someone here is asking the question, like I am, why do we not live in a complete world of peace? We're all peacemakers. Peacemakers must acquire every issue and every fact in relation to this problem to handle it in the fullness.

We are not taking every issue and every fact that is available that we miss out on making a situation of complete peace. So, but who in all reality, who is the responsibility for peace on? You might have all the information you need and you've got a couple better odds and you might come in the purest and meekest motive in the world and not get anywhere. Because there's not honesty.

I just, I just been looking down through these and I was thinking if this was characteristic of everybody in an assembly, there'd be no need for peacemakers. The first, it's first and foremost because there'd be no, there'd be no breakdown of the peace if everybody's living these other. See, if I'm, if I'm doing this, then no one's going to be at odds with me.

See, and then if everybody's doing this, no one's going to be at odds. This, this whole section is literally going to be characteristic of the people living in the one region of the kingdom. So there's going to be no need for war.

I mean, when you have, right now in our news, you hear about the Iranians and the Israelis and how we're brokering this peace. It's an impossibility because the Iranians don't want peace to begin with, see. So it's, it's not, it's not possible for that to actually happen if they were people that wanted peace to begin with, then that's the foundation.

So I don't think this is necessarily in view of us going around and making the peace. It's everybody gets peace with me. Then I can be an influence to those that are not at peace with one another.

Well, and does, does the, does the peace that's brought about really have to be between two individuals? Because so far we're only talking about, it seems, conflict, perhaps between a brother, brother and sister, but really where's the greatest lack of peace in the world? It's on the part of those that do not know the principles. In which case, the solution may be desiring to be an individual that would introduce the principles to those that are lacking. I want to emphasize what Jim said, where we don't have peace amongst individuals in the assembly or the assemblies is they haven't considered all of the facts of the scriptures.

And when you take as an example how peace is made, World War II, Japan, absolutely agreed to the terms put forth by the allies. And total peace was made, except not with Russia. There was a disagreement over the northern islands of Japan, and there's still no peace between those two.

So, the principle of peace has to do with submission entirely to the word of God. And then when we both come to that agreement, we have peace. I think I see among some Christians that sense of being a peacemaker.

That's just their natural disposition. When they get in where there's a little difficulty, they just smooth things over in a peaceful attitude. And maybe everybody don't fit that way, but there are those that really fit in that situation.

There's all different walks in life where we don't fit well, but there are those that are specially adapted to all these things we've been taking up here. And so, there's this whole group of people we're addressing here. Here's a faction here that they're noted for being sorrow, others for being weak, others for seeking righteousness, but they're not all that way, but there are those that are peacemakers.

We're not all peacemakers, but there are those that excel in making peace. There seems to be different personalities that go that way, but I want to make this the time to say this. Everybody in this room that is saved has a privilege and a responsibility in the kingdom of God.

Is that correct? Every one of us. So we don't look at the other person to do something else, but this I want to keep going. Every one of us has a privilege and responsibility to appreciate and live out to the best of our ability all of these things.

Every one of us. Without exception. That's very searching.

So we've been placed into the kingdom of God by grace. We're going to be rewarded in the kingdom by our faithfulness. That's the rewards that we're going to get.

But I don't want us to lose sight of this. Some people maybe their attention is drifting off and they think, well, I'm not a peacemaker. That can't be for me.

We all have a privilege and a responsibility for all of these things. Every single one of us. And as Merv said, some may seem to excel more than others, but we all have a responsibility at least in our own life to do what we can.

I think Brother Brandon hit the nail on the head earlier. As we present the peacemaker, the Lord Jesus, the Prince of Peace to a world, this individual, the people that brought the gospel, that brought the message of salvation, brought the message of forgiveness, they come into the good of God's forgiveness. And then what do they do? They come back and thank you for bringing that to them.

And that's like the Lord Jesus was sent from heaven to bring a message of peace to this earth and go through the death of the cross to make peace so that we might have it. And that what we were called, we're called the sons of God and the children of God. This is actually sons here because children relates us to a relationship.

And the word sons is related to our character. And this is a character of everyone who's in heaven. A child of the kingdom.

Peacemakers have the character of their father in heaven. In chapter 2, peace on earth, the good Lord of man, the Son of man, Christ, have peace in you. And so we will judge you.

Here are those who are subject to the kingdom going out to another area to present the peacemaker. To make peace. You're at enmity in your heart.

You're at enmity with God. Here's the way of peace. And they get saved.

That might be a... Is that kind of what you're speaking of, Brother Randy? Not everyone that is approached will be saved. But the peace has been offered. So it isn't our responsibility to save, but it's our responsibility to send the message.

And our responsibility to have these characteristics of peace are a way to make others seek to be made peaceful. When I was unsaved, you'll appreciate that, but David Thomas had a peace about him. And I would envy that characteristic.

We all should, as an individual, have our peace resting on something above the situation of a barn building, a shed building that didn't go perfect. Peace. All things are at peace.

Give to him right. It is well with my soul when peace like a river attendeth my way. That peace should make us peacemakers.

I'm hearing a lot about testimony here. What we manifest and that's what I see. Not to jump ahead, but let me get there in part two.

About our testimony. Even in verse 10. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And we heard in ministry this morning from Brother Kent about suffering for the wrongs that we do. This is for righteousness' sake. You would think, I think someone's already mentioned it, you would think that in our kingdom, people who manifest the characteristics that we've had before this, surely they would, everyone would love them and praise them.

No, it didn't work that way. It didn't work with the Lord Jesus. His righteousness exposed their evil and they hated the light.

So it is. God does not soft-serve what's going to happen if a person is sick. A person who enters the kingdom is not going to live happily ever after.

That's what the Jews wanted. In the Old Testament, they wanted a kingdom of righteousness and everything to be happily ever after. And here's the king saying, you manifest all these characteristics, you'd be a peacemaker on the very next statement.

Blessed are you. Well, there's the earth, the world is at enmity with God. They've rejected His kingship.

And so we're in a kingdom that is being rebelled against all around us. And so it's a given we're going to be persecuted just by our association with the king. That's right.

That's the key to get to it. We're not of this world. We're the trespassers here.

You realize that. As the Lord Jesus walked here and displayed that kingdom, you had not only the nation of Israel rejecting Him, you had the world at large rejecting Him. That's why it was so key that Rome rejected Him as well because they represented the world as large.

All of humanity was rejecting the kingdom at that point. And so we dare not be accepted by them, right? Luke goes into that a lot more. He gives two blessings and then he gives two bows.

Woe to you, when all men shall speak rather than you. For so did they with false prophets. So everybody's happy with us and have to some bad... Probably something wrong with us.

When you're doing something for righteousness sake, you're doing something that's right. So when you tell someone you're a sinner and God is angry with... There's sins that need to be dealt with. You need to have your sins forgiven.

They don't like that. Well, I'm a good person. So now there's this enmity going on.

And so now they're going to hound you and they watch you in the workplace. They're going to pick you apart. And he says, Well, blessary.

You'll be happy. Just enjoy that because what you're doing is right. You're telling them the truth.

If you tell them you just do the best you can, you'll get to heaven. That is not right. And that's how you just work your way into the good graces of those people.

But you tell them the truth, you're going to suffer. They're going to hound you. That's the idea of the word.

Pursue you. They're going to charge you. All those things.

But he says, For theirs is, that's present now again, is the kingdom of heaven. That's the character. All the resources of heaven, all the joy of heaven is at your disposal.

Because you're doing what's right. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my name's sake. So it is for his name's sake.

You skipped over falsely. Why is it falsely? Because it's false. But why though? Because it's not true.

Because you're keeping all the stuff you went before. Yeah. But you're keeping, you're in the same tenet that the Lord Jesus Christ was making.

You're in his kingdom. Yeah. It has to be false.

So the qualifications for being able to take patiently and submissively persecution is that what we have done is for righteousness' sake. That the evils that they accuse us of are false. And we're not, are not guilty of them.

Those are Christ's sake. There are religions out there where they torment themselves physically, mentally, and every other way. There's no reward for that.

Because it's, it's not for righteousness' sake and it's not for Christ's sake. And we have the privilege of being rewarded and suffering for righteousness for his name's sake. Rejoice at the exceeding gladness, well it's a, Acts chapter 5 verse 41, that he parted from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

Again, just an illustration of these principles in New Testament times. Up above it mentions the meek inheritance of the earth. Now it says, great is your reward in heaven.

So we definitely have a link with the heavenly sphere as well. You may not get your reward on earth. The multitude that will be slain during the tribulation.

The multitude of saints that have died in the Old Testament and otherwise didn't get their reward on earth. But the reward is secure. Here it reminds the suffering saints.

An inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, paid another reserve. 1 Peter 4 verse 12 says, Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you, but rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.

On their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. Just those first words, think it not strange. Here's one reason why we shouldn't be surprised by it.

Think it strange? At the end of verse 12, For so persecuted the prophets were before you. This is not new. It happened based on life.

Those who bore faithful witness to God were hated. Is that the reason why the prophets are brought in here? Because of what they said, who they were, who they were linked with, who they were representing? Verse 13, Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt hath lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and to be trodden under the foot of man. Here we come to the salt and the freshness.

How does that apply to what has gone before? They're telling us God has left us here for a purpose. We are, the Lord Jesus said, I am the light of the world. He said, while I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

But he's not that. That's an extra delight, but an extra salt to be out. It's left to that.

Is it an exhortation to kind of summarily find what's gone before and practice these things? You used the word fresh, but preserve yourself in these things. The pollution comes from delusion, deluded by the things in the world. What's it good for? There's things we've been taken up with.

Those are good teachings. But if you push them and turn them around, then there goes the flavor of the salt. Our presence in the world is to be felt in society just by us being here.

Because what we are doing is we are seeking to live spiritual principles and show these spiritual features and characteristics that are Christ's. And as that is done, the world will not become totally corrupt because we're still here. When we're gone, then it's another story.

But in like manner, we are not to try to make the world live by God's principles now, because they can't. So we are the salt. We are just told to live and let God do the work through us.

We are the salt of the earth. How has this come to be for each and every one of us? And it is because of the tremendous plan of salvation. God's salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

That precious blood that has purchased us, bought us. And so, these things that we went through, are they in us? Do we possess these things? Do we have these things? Do we go forth with these things? Now, day by day, I fail miserably at each and every one of these. But they lie within us because of the good that we've come into.

We're the salt. We've been purchased by the blood of the Lamb. And we go forth.

Now, we lose that Savior. No one knows. The Lamb brought that up at the very beginning.

Has it happened? Doesn't happen? Yes. But, to know the preciousness, even the good that's coming into God's house. And today, for each and every one of us, to partake in the remembrance of Him, our Lord and Savior, the One that bought us, the Purchaser.

Put His blood there on Calvary's tree. And, should we allow the salt to lose its Savior? No, we should not. We should be in the Word of God and we should go forth as men and women of God because what's happened to us because of our own sin.

If too much salt, it's not good either. There's balance. Yeah, exactly.

That is the point. There needs to be a balance. Absolutely.

What is the most powerful testimony? Remember, Paul had told us this. He's a happy Christian. Instead of going around beating people over the head about, hey, you're on the way to hell and every five minutes telling them that.

Right. You just live and enjoy Christ. Yeah.

And show that you're a happy Christian and what you have. I think that's what we're talking about. Blessed is happy.

Okay. Blessed is happy. Yeah.

But the idea here of Savior also is foolishness. It's foolish not to protect ourselves by practicing these things. It's interesting.

The word, have lost His Savior, is all in the Greek word and it's translated in Romans chapter 1, become foolish. In 1 Corinthians 1, made foolish. So, like the salt, as far as we are the salt, that we become foolish.

We become foolish. That's why it's caused the apothecary to send forth a stinking saber, sawed off a little fowl into His reputation for losing an honor. Our life needs to give way to our testimony.

If the salt had become foolish, it's not going to be worth much. No judge our Lord by us. I don't know what they speak.

What are we? And that's why I said, we often look at the defiling things of this world, the corrupt things, and say, oh, that's terrible. But we overlook the pride, the arrogance, the deceit, the snobbishness, because that's exactly what unbelievers see. Oh, they think they are so good.

No, they don't even talk to me. I say hi to them, they want to look at me. What kind of a testimony is that? That's what they look for.

I've known people, I could name them in this room. I don't agree with what they believe, but I tell you, I respect them for what they believe. And they see, that's the way the Lord was.

They didn't like it, but they couldn't point a finger and say, he's at fault. Couldn't. When mocking one, that would be an example of he lost his saber.

When he went out to warn them, he was as one that mocked. That's the end of this verse. What do men do to people whose life doesn't matter up to their speech? That's worth good for nothing, but to be passed out and be trodden under the foot of a nest.

That's why it's a good illustration. Isn't it, William McDonnell, in his commentary, talks about that? The idea of using salt for a positive thing, but when it loses its flavor, its savor, its strength, then they use it as gravel to walk on. So, in our testimonies, if it's not a good one, they're just going to walk all over and say, they judge Christianity by us, and that's why these easy professionals say, well, I tried Jesus, but it didn't work for me.

Now they don't want nothing to do with the Scriptures at all. There was a wrong understanding of the Gospel message. It's going to be the other way as well.

We are the salt of the earth. If we are not a testimony, then who's going to? Right. He's declaring our purpose and He's declaring the warning.

Really, our purpose is to be the salt and the warning is that we can be wasted, wasted light. So, Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Is there a significance that He uses the city and then He uses the house? Just simply, I thought of the city on the hill as something that a multitude of people could see, the light.

But when you're looking at a light from a distance, you don't see the full brightness of it. Now you've got a light, the candle and the house, and that's really the realm where we are. It's the close proximity of the people around us who see the true light in its brightest aspect that it could be.

So is there more to it than that? Well, it went even further. It was first the world. I look at it as that city set on a hill in Psalm 2, verse 6, Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion, Jerusalem.

Yeah, in the future, you're going to have the manifestation of the new Jerusalem coming down in the kingdom. Who are ye? Who would we agree that He was speaking to in this chapter here? Be the same people that are the salt. Be to the believers.

Would a city be collected or a collective number of people? While in a house, it's more singular. So we can learn that the strength of a collective testimony is often built by the strength of an individual testimony. So if we're all living these things, whereas in our house, the light is there.

Everyone in the house has seen this light. Now we all come together. It's like a city on a hill.

So it's raised from being in a house, a house on, it doesn't say where it is, but to a city that's on a hill. And I just wondered if the ultimate in the Lord's mind is the city of Revelation 21. If there's a glory, the Lord's going to lighten it and the nations of the earth are going to look up and they're going to see the city.

You can't hide it because it's a glory of, as you mentioned here, it's a glory of the Lord. By application, you could look at it a year in the light of the world. Christianity is that to the world you talked about preserving.

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. You can think of the local assembly and its effect in a community. Then you can think individually in the house, your effect on those that you come in contact with.

Really what a city is when you come in at nighttime, it's a lot of little lights. That's what you see in the darkness. Like you said, a collective.

And you'd think that it was all one power source, that city. Right. You'd think.

Well, God says it is. There's a spiritual power source, a moral power source, a truth power source, however you want to put it. And it's all based in God.

It's His glory that's going to shine everything. And if our testimony is setting the Lord Jesus on the hill, if we're walking around as worshipers, I don't know about you guys, but it's pretty hard not to smile when you're walking around in thankfulness. True thankfulness for things that you see around you.

That city, we don't have to hear it. That city can be the Lord Jesus if we're setting Him on a hill and we're happy. It's a testimony that won't be hid.

So then someone comes to you and says, why are you so happy? You've got to say, well, I'm such a good person. I attend all the Bible readings. It's all about Him.

It's all about Christ. You see, purpose of verse 15, neither do men light a candle until they have lit a bushel. That doesn't make sense.

I mean, if you don't want the light, a light candle, that's what you're doing if you light a candle and put it under a bushel. You're wasting your energy. You're wasting your candle.

It's as if the Lord said, I have lit you as a light for no purpose either. I don't want you lighting your light under a bushel which has been taken to speak of commerce or busyness. And then another place that speaks of heading it under a bed.

Another account similar to this. Laziness. Men don't waste the light of a candle.

God doesn't need us to waste the light that He's lit. 2 Corinthians 4 God has shined in our hearts to give the light and the knowledge and the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. We need to break the vessels so that the light can shine in.

The lamp or the candle or the lamp stand doesn't exert the energy to cast the light. All it does is let the light burn. And if it takes energy for us to live a Christian life, there's something wrong with it.

We just live. Just live. Let the Spirit of God do His work in us.

Just enjoy the Lord. And we'll see people in a different light because the Spirit of God is going to show people's need whether they're saved or unsaved. We're going to be able to show compassion.

We're going to have these characteristics and we don't have to work at it. And others are going to see, man, there, there's something different about them. Yeah, there is.

It's an unworldly love that's touched our heart because there's an unworldly Christ that is one of us. And we're just trying to live for Him. Just enjoying Him.

And that's the way. We've been rightfully speaking you out, testifying with our mouths, but we're also being practical with it. But what it says, may see your good works.

The righteous living is first and foremost the requirement. That's what all men can see whether we ever get a chance to talk to them or not. But it's a reflection of our Father.

And that's the other thing. What are we doing? So we look good. So everybody thinks I'm a super Christian and all.

But then you see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Anything that's not done for His glory is, is fake. You can think of 1 Peter chapter 4 where it lists the manifold grace of God.

If any man speak, let him speak with the order of God. If any man minister, let him do it out of the ability of God given. That God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ to whom He prays and demands forevermore.

Amen. Whatever God has given us, any ability, in any realm, it's to be done that God may be glorified. Amen.

What is the idea of glorify? What is the power or the impact behind that very word? Exalted, made bigger, greater, excellence on display. So it's not our excellence then. You say, well boy, you talk a certain way and you walk a straight line and you don't even step to the side.

It's not that. It is just, you live, enjoy Christ, and let the Spirit of God work through you and then they see, how can you do this? Well, it's not me. It's Christ.

And they glorify your Father which is in Him. So I guess, just in simplicity, what I'm trying to get across is we don't have to work this up as some type of a pharisaical attitude. Why? Because we are the Son of God.

It's in us. And the Spirit of God is going to bring it out of us. That's why it says, let your light.

Boy, I like singing a song one time. This little light of mine let it shine. And Oliver Smith said let it shine in Athens.

And if you don't need to go across the sea, you just go across the street and let your light shine. Well, thanks everybody for all your help and thoughts. And I hope as we thought about this in both aspects of the Kingdom that's coming in the future and the responsibility that we have as being in our little portion of the Kingdom now that the freshness will encourage us for the days to come.

Appreciate it. And we'll close in prayer and we'll sing a couple verses of a hymn before we go down to the lunch. Father, as we come to a close today, we give thanks for this time around Thy Word.

We certainly have been challenged and we've appreciated our Lord Jesus and all that He is to thee. Our Father, certainly we don't know everything about Him, but the little that we do understand, we marvel every time we think of Him as the light of the world. We marvel as we think of Him as the Peacemaker, the One who made peace by the blood of His cross.

The One that was truly pure in heart and there was no guile found in His mouth. Holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners. We're thankful that He always did those things which pleased Thee.

So help us, our Father, to go forth from here that we might be a changed people, that we might be warmed in our heart, that we might be refreshed in our soul, that we might be renewed in our energy by the Spirit of God to let our light shine as we've just been reminded without even trying. Just let Christ shine out of us. So we look to Thee now for these things.

We thank You for our time and for the Lord Jesus and for food prepared in the Savior's worthy and precious Name. Amen.