Turn your Bibles, please, to Matthew chapter 5, as we continue our short series of studies on what I've called the influence of the Christian, described and applied. And we're focusing on what Jesus said that we're salt and light in this earth. Look at verses 13 and 16. You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is in good for nothing but thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Now, we dealt with that last week. Here's what I want to deal with this morning. You are the light of the world. A city that's set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light show sign before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Let me read an excerpt from The Voice of the Martyrs. of a young woman named Yara, who was converted from Islam and became a Christian. I want you to see how she was a shining light, how the Lord used her. When Yara learned that her father and brothers might kill her for leaving Islam and turning to Christ, she knew she had to flee for safety. Though she loved her family and job as a college professor in Jordan, She needed to start a new life elsewhere. I didn't know where to go, she said. Then God told me. Yara's story is common in Islamic countries, where Christian converts from Islam are rejected by their own family members and shunned by their own community. Many new believers in these countries are beaten and even killed by family members. Now listen to the next part. This is the thing where I say, here's a classic example of being the light of the world. Yara tried to keep her faith a secret, but the change in her behavior was too drastic. Her newfound hope even made her face look different. Her mother began to suspect that Yara was a Christian, and she was asking a lot of questions. Yara said when her mother began to tell her stories of people who were killed by their families after leaving Islam, Yara decided it was time to leave. In January 2016, Yara left her job and family in Jordan and started a new life in a nearby country. Fearing for her safety, she told no one where she was going. Though she didn't know anyone in the new country, she trusted God that God called her. When I reached the hotel, I saw a picture of Jesus Christ in the reception area, she said. Since leaving her old life behind, Yora has endured many challenges. No university will hire her as a professor because she's a Christian. and she's been fired from several jobs because of her faith, forcing her to move eight times. She currently earns a meager income designing websites for companies. Yara also has experienced health complications from diabetes, and her new medications are expensive. The lack of family support adds to her difficulties. She has tried to reach out to her mother, but her mother is still angry about her conversion. Despite everything, Yara trusts in God and sees her working in her life. She has found a church and searching for a better job. She asks us to pray that her parents and two brothers and sisters will come to know the Lord. But I like that part that said that she tried to keep her faith a secret. But the change in her behavior was too drastic. Her newfound faith even made her face look different. And her mother began to suspect that Yara was a Christian. She was the light of the world. And by God's grace, she still is. Your outline shows you what we have covered. I usually don't do any review, but I almost feel like it's necessary. So follow along in the outline if you would, please. I've called it the influence of the description of the influence of the Christian. First of all, the necessity of our influence. It's implied by the presupposition. Presupposition is here. The text presupposes two things. The world is in darkness and the world is in moral decay. Salt is needed where there's decay. Salt is where there was corruption. Light is brought where there is darkness. It's implied by the context. The mood of the verb you are is an indicative statement, not a statement of fact. Our Lord is not urging us to become something. or commanding us to do something, but He's telling us we are something. We are salt and we are light. You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. Just as it was God's plan to save us, so it's God's plan to use us as salt and light. Therefore, the influence of the Christian in society is absolutely essential and necessary. That's implied by the presupposition, implied by the context, and indicated by the context. Look at the text. Special emphasis on the pronoun you, which actually means you and you alone. He was speaking exclusively to his disciples, and by way of application, he's speaking to us as believers. The child of God is the only true, and only the true child of God has this influence in society. We are, and if we do not retard the corruption, if we do not bring light to bear in the world, there will be no retardation, there will be no light. Then we saw the nurturing of the Christian's influence, our conduct in the world, the instruction order in the Sermon on the Mount. Before the Lord tells us about our influence of a Christian, he speaks about our identity as a Christian in verses 2 through 12, the Beatitudes. They are the identifying marks of the believer. If we are not seeking by His grace to live out those Beatitudes in front of the world, we will never have the Christian influence in the world. And thirdly, our contact with the world. Salt, to be effective, must come in contact with something. Light, to be effective, must be in a dark place. The scribes and Pharisees were isolated from the world, therefore they had no influence in the world. But Jesus rubbed elbows with the world and he had great influence in the world. That brings us to where I want to go now. The nature of the Christian's influence in the world. Last week we saw the influence described as salt of the earth. This morning I want to consider the Christians influence as described as the light of the world. Look at verse 14 again. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all are in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your God in heaven. First thing we want to look at is the importance of being in the light of the world. The entire unsaved world is, listen, is spiritual darkness. Notice I did not say they were in spiritual darknesses, of course they are, but they are spiritual darkness itself. Ephesians 5.14, listen to this. For you were once darkness, But now you are light, and the Lord walketh as children of light." Paul does not say they were in darkness or darkness that they were darkness itself. The unbeliever totally exists, including their being, their behavior is totally characterized by spiritual darkness. Over in John 3, 19 through 20, they also love darkness because their deeds are evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. Darkness, as you know, impairs our vision. In a spiritual sense, the kind of darkness that the Bible talks about impairs a person morally. They cannot see truth. They do not understand the effects of sin, or even the root of it, and the depravity of the human heart. Their entire way of thinking is warped by darkness. Their understanding has been switched off when it comes to grasping moral issues related to their own lives. So they join organizations that go to great lengths to protect snail darters or endangered fish or certain species of animals. You might have seen it on your television. The American, well, whatever, they take care of dogs and stuff. All these dogs, and it shows them shivering. They're afraid of the harden in a corner. And they want you to send money to help support this. Now, I'm not against that. These poor dogs were abused. They're scared to death. And you want to reach in and help, that's fine. But these same people who support the saving of dogs support the butchering and the killing of unborn babies. Now you want to talk about being warped spiritually. The only hope for the young believer is the influence of the Christian as spiritual light. You and you only are the light of the world. Then there are two assertions that are made being in the light of the world. Look at the text. If you are the light of the world, it will be obvious to the world. Look at verse 14. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. He compares us to the city that's situated on the hilltop. You can't hide it from view, especially when it gets dark and all the lights come on. It becomes obvious to everyone. It cannot be hidden. I can stand on my bedroom and look out at my, off into the blue mountains. especially when all the leaves now are off the tree. I can see miles away, 10, 50, see a car going up this back road. Seeing all the cities, or seeing all the lights in Belfast and Windcombe. You can't hide that. Jesus said, you're the light of the world, and like a city on the hill, it cannot be hidden. If you are the light of the world, it would be obvious to the world, just like Yara. She tried to keep her faith secret, but the change in her behavior was too drastic. Her newfound hope made her face look different. Her mother began to suspect that, I think she's a Christian. What a classic example of being the light of the world. She didn't open her mouth. I dated a girl years ago, way before I met Jan. And eventually she got married and I worked at an automobile agency right there in Belvidere and she moved in right next door. And she would always come out in the summer with a revealing bathing suit and sit in a chair and all the guys were looking at her and stuff. And she knew that. But then a while back, I saw her running through the park with her children. And she's having fun with her children. And then I had to go to court, and I saw her in court. And she said to me, Tom, I got saved. You could see the change in her. She was happy. She was joyous. She was filled with the spirit of God. Robert Merrick McShane was one of the saints of the last century. His face, they say, used to say, was something lit up like a hallowed expression so that the people who came saw him and knew and accepted Christ when they saw his face. Others were so attached to his indescribable beauty of holiness that manifested on his countenance that they came to Jesus, to him, and it was irresistible. A man by the name of Phenelon, a great Christian of ages past, they said of him, his communion with God was such that his face shone. Lord Peter Burrow, a skeptic, was once compelled to spend a night with him at the inn. In the morning, he heard a voice saying, if I spend another night with that man, I'll be a Christian in spite of myself. Ferdinand's manner, his voice, and his face reflected so perfectly the glory of Christ that he was irresistibly attractive even to the world's vilest of humanity. Another one, Helen Ewing, was saved as a young girl in Scotland and gave her life completely to the Lord Jesus Christ. But she died at the age of 22, and it's said that all Scotland wept. She had expected to serve God as a missionary in Europe and become fluent in the Russian language. But she was not able to fulfill the dream. She had no obvious gifts, such as speaking or writing, and she had never traveled far from home. But by the time she died, she led hundreds of people to the Lord. Countless missionaries mourned for her death. because they knew that a great channel of spiritual strength was gone. She had risen every morning at five in order to study God's Word and to pray. Her diary revealed that she regularly prayed for over 300 missionaries by name. Everywhere she went, the atmosphere was changed. If people were complaining, they would become ashamed as she was present. Someone was telling a dirty joke. As soon as they saw her approaching, they'd stop. An acquaintance reported that while she was at Glasgow University, she left the fragrance of Christ everywhere she went. And everything she said and she did was the light of the world. You and you alone are the light of the world. A city that's set on a hill cannot be hidden. Are you finding that true with you? Are you people drawn to you to ask you the hope that's within you because they see something in you that's different? You see, one of the things about being salt and light is that you're completely different from the world. If you're light in the spiritual darkness, you're completely different and it becomes obvious. And that's why Peter says, always be ready. to give a defense of the hope that is in you when people come and ask you about that hope. Secondly, if you are the light of the world, you will not try to hide it from the world. Look at verse 15. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand it gives light to all in the house. Notice the change in location here. It goes from a city on a hill to a lamp in a house. Jesus uses rather absurd illustration. Before electricity, people used lamps and candles to give light inside the house. We know about that when the power goes off. What do we do? We light candles and we light lamps. But how stupid would it be for Jan and I to light candles and lamps and then cover them up with something? And that's what Jesus is trying to get across here. Unfortunately, some believers do just that. They hide their light in various ways for various reasons. This is a sad story. It's said that years ago, when horse and buggies were still common, there was a tragedy at a railroad crossing. A buggy containing an entire family was struck by an oncoming train and the whole family was killed. There was an investigation. They questioned the man who was assigned to watch that particular crossing and warned people about approaching trains. They asked him if he was crossing, if he was at the crossing that night as he was supposed to be. He said, yes, he was. Did you know the train was coming? Yes, it was right on time as always. Did you take your lantern and go to meet it like you were supposed to? He says, yes. And did you wave it back and forth to warn that the train incoming? Yes, I did. That was the heart of the investigation. So after a few more questions, the matter was closed. They concluded it was one of those unfortunate accidents that can't be explained. Years went by. At the time of his death, the watchmen began to moan over and over, oh, those poor people. Oh, those poor people. Fred asked him what he was talking about. And he said it was about the train accident many years ago. And Fred tried to assure him, that was a careful investigation. You are completely cleared. The watchman said, yes, but there's one question that they never asked me. They didn't ask me if my lantern was lit. It wasn't lit. And the entire family died as a result. Let your light shine. Don't try to hide it. Don't be ashamed of the gospel. When you have an opportunity to pass out a track, Take that opportunity. There's plenty of tracks out there. Take them and pass them out. If you've got an opportunity to witness somebody, don't be afraid to speak the truth, but speak the truth in love. Share with them the gospel. Show them that they're sinners and that they need the Lord Jesus Christ and that whoever calls on his name will be saved. What's the purpose of Christians being the light of the world? First of all, the world is very dark. At a point of contrast, the brighter we shine for Christ, the more impact we'll have on people. We say, our world's getting worse and worse and worse. It's getting darker and darker. Well, the darker the night, the brighter the light shines. When light shines, it reveals things. And symbolically, this means that Christians are to be used to reveal the truth of Christ in this world. Thy lamp, Psalm 119 or 105, the word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. And as we're walking in the light of his word, we can also point the way to those who are blind and lost in this world. Primarily, Jesus teaches that being a light of the world involves letting your good work shine as thoroughly as possible, brightly as possible, so that people will give glory to God for the light that is shining within you. Look at verse 16. Let your light show sign before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Good works are just the things that Lord leads us to do as we follow him. being kind, helping people, giving to others, all those other situations. Being a Christian also means that because of the fruit of a faithful life, sometimes God uses Christian to expose and uncover the sins of many people. Go to Ephesians chapter five, Ephesians chapter five. For you were once darkness, but now you are light, and the Lord walk as children of light. For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth, finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it's shameful even to speak of those things which are done in them in secret. But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore, he says, awake you who are asleep, arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light. We Christians must realize that we may be the only light that some people ever have. And if we do not share the truth with them, they may never hear it. Now, let me share with you an experience in my life that I am so ashamed to even share it. I had an aunt who wasn't very open to the gospel, but every time she'd see me, she said, Tom, I watch you on TV every Sunday night. Why don't you come and visit me? I said, I will. Every time she'd see me, you did not come to see me like you promised. I don't know why I never got there, but I never did. And then she died. I could have brought the gospel to her. At least she would have seen her need. Maybe by watching me on television where I preached The gospel, maybe she got saved, I don't know. But I know one thing, that still haunts me. That still haunts me. The world is full of darkness. And we Christians are actually part of the problem itself if we do not let our light shine for Christ as it should. Notice the command given in our being the light of the world, verse 16. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Paul expands on this, letting us know that we need to be careful of our conduct among unbelievers. Go over to Philippians chapter two, please. Philippians chapter two. Verse 14, do all things without complaining and disputing that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Implied in the text is our influence as the light of the world can be tarnished by grumbling and complaining. We claim to be saved but we're around unbelievers and all we do is grumble and complain. And that certainly retards the light. Paul says don't do that. By way of observation, we see that we shine as lights in the world by our conduct, in verse 15, and our attachment to the scriptures, verse 16. Holding fast the word of life, so I may rejoice in the day of Christ, may I not run in vain or labor in vain. Are you holding fast to the word of God? Are you spending time in the word of God each day? Are you trying to memorize portions of scripture? Be careful of your conduct among the unbelievers. You want your light to shine. But if they see us grumbling and complaining about things like they do, they're not going to be interested in anything we have to say. And hold fast to the Word of God, like we learned this morning on Sunday school about Christian contentment. If we didn't have the Scriptures, we would know not know what Christian contentment is. The Word of God is our help. A story is told of the time when the great missionary to Burma, Adoram Judson, came home on furlough and happened to pass through the city of Stonington, Connecticut. A young boy playing about the wharfs at the time of Judson's arrival was struck by the man's appearance. Never before had he seen such light on any human face. He ran up the street to a minister to ask if he knew who the stranger was. The minister hurried back with him, but became so absorbed in conversation with Judson that he forgot all about the youngster standing near him. Many years afterward, that boy, who could never get away from the influence of that wonderful face, became the famous preacher Henry Clay Trumbull. In a book of memoirs, Trumbull penned a chapter what a boy saw in the face of Adonai and Judson. That lighted countenance had changed his life. Even as flowers fly when they bend toward the sun, so shining, radiant faces come to those who constantly turn to Christ. Let me give you two quick lines of application. Our influence as Christians will be constant when our walk matches our talk. When our walk matches our talk. Remember the text in Ephesians 5? You want to turn back to that quick, please? Verse 8, For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. You are light. Now live like you are light. Let your walk match your talk. We need to be careful about that. Secondly, our influence as Christians will be lost if we fall into grievous sin. Our influence as Christians will be lost if we fall into grievous sin. Let's close with Proverbs 25, please. Proverbs 25. Verse 26. You want to mark this, you want to highlight this verse, maybe you've seen it before. I preached a message on this years ago. A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring in a polluted well. A righteous man who falters before the wicked is like a murky spring in a polluted well. My dad always used to like to go up in the little hamlet of Hazen, and down in this field was this little spring. And I'd go with him once in a while. And he'd say, now, when you put the jug in the spring, put it down easy, unless you stir all the stuff up from the bottom. And when you lift the jug out, don't pull it up, because the suction will bring all that stuff to the top. Well, of course, I tried doing it, and it just polluted the whole spring. And he goes, ah, Dad's famous response was, ah! And that's what he's talking about here. It was useless. You couldn't use that spring water. It was filled with sand and debris that had settled at the bottom. And that's what it's like when a believer falls in the grievous sin. To the unsaved world, you're like a murky spring and a polluted well. No one's going to drink out of it. No one's going to listen. Pray the prayer constantly. Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins and let them not have dominion over me. Don't take that seriously. We've seen a lot of Men of God fall into grievous sin. When you get back to the judges of Israel, you'll see some of the godliest judges fell into great sin at the end of their life. And in many cases, the only thing the people remembered was their great sin. All of us can fall into sin. And him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall. There's no temptation overcome, but such is common to man. But God will, with the temptation, give you a way of escape that you may bear it. Keep your mind and heart on the Lord. Read the scriptures. Pray every day. Seek to live a godly and holy life. And you might be surprised if someone walks up to you and mentions your name and says, what's different about you? What's different about you? I mentioned this before, but when I was going through basic training, we had the old open air dormitories, beds stacked on top of each other. As I'm laying in bed, I'd get under the covers, because you had lights out. I'd get under the covers with my flashlight, and I'd read the Bible under there. And then it came to my mind, I think it was the Lord, get out of your bunk and get down on your knees and pray." I said, there ain't no way I'm doing that. Seventy guys here seeing me down kneeling and praying, there's no way I'm doing that. I got no rest. Kneeling down, get out of your bunk, get down on your knees and pray. So I sort of slithered out of bed like, you know, like a snake so no one could see me. And I was so concerned about what others were thinking, I couldn't even think of what to pray. But every night that came to me, and each night it got different. And eventually a couple of men come to me and asked me about the situation. But what was interesting, you begin to see other men getting down on their knees and asking the Lord to save them. Let your light shine. Do everything you can to make sure it shines. Don't be obnoxious with the gospel. Don't try to jam it down someone's throat. But when the opportunity comes, send the light. Spread the light. Be an influence in this world. Who knows that your life and your character could be the thing that draws people to Christ. Let's pray and ask that we will be lights of the world. Let's close in prayer. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this time we had together. Thank you for your grace and your mercy. Thank you for the challenge this morning that will be salt and light. Lord, help me to remember always that a person we run into may never hear the gospel again. I know that failure to keep my promise to visit my aunt haunts me to this day. And may you use that to prod me, never ever refuse to give the truth. We pray in Jesus' name, amen.