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Camden Nephew teaches from Matthew 5:13–16 about living as salt and light and faithfully reflecting Christ to others.
Bellevue Baptist Church High School Ministry
Amen. Well, hey, it's good to be back with y'all. I missed you. We were at Nicaragua this past week, and you'll get to hear more about that. But hey, I believe in giving honor where honor is due. So would you thank Chris for bringing the word last week? I heard he did a phenomenal job. Hey, if you have your Bible, you can open it up to Matthew chapter five. Matthew chapter five, thank you very much. I appreciate that, that was good. And as you turn there, I wanna ask you this question. How do you, you personally, how do you handle responsibility? Do you, does it motivate you? Does it make you rise to a certain level? Or is it just like, eh, you know, it's whatever. You trust me with something, that's fine, we're not a big deal. My mom, I remember for the very first time, gave me some responsibility, like trusted me with something like real. And it was when my little sister was like really, really little, like some of y'all know India. How many of y'all know India in this room, okay? All right, a lot of y'all know India. She was like baby, okay? And my mom was like, hey, I'm leaving, you're gonna watch your little brother and your little sister. So it was like this first real moment of responsibility that I had. I'll tell you this, I didn't take it super seriously. I was like, she's a baby, what's the worst that could happen? She eats like apples and banana and she'll be fine. So that's what she ate, so I cut some apple up for her, but no one ever told me that when you feed a baby an apple, you gotta like cut it up small, you can't really have the skin on it, all the different things. So I cut up some pretty big chunks of apple and I give it to baby India and she starts eating it and immediately starts choking. And I freak out. I'm like, she's dead. I killed my little sister, it's over. There's nothing left for me. I'm gonna be on death row for the rest of my life because I killed my little sister, right? I freak out, I call her neighbor who lives just down the street. She comes over, she does the, whatever special powers moms have and just, she was fine, India was fine, obviously. So, but it was this moment of responsibility for me that I didn't really take it that seriously. Let me tell you another story. There was a student that I used to minister to who everyone saw as the bad student. Everyone saw, don't trust him with things. Don't ask him to do anything. Don't this or that. Like he was, he kind of had this stigma about and this reputation that he was like a bad kid. What I knew about him was that if you label him as a bad kid, he's gonna act like a bad kid. But if you give him some responsibility and trust him with something, he's gonna rise to that standard. So we did that one year. We used to do Jerusalem Project back in the day and everyone was like, hey, don't trust this kid with anything. I was like, no, we're gonna trust him. So we gave him some responsibility and he was a rockstar. So here's my question to you. How do you personally handle responsibility? Do you kind of like, not that big of a deal? Or are you like, okay, whatever responsibility you give me, I'm gonna rise to that standard. It's kind of like, it's motivational for you, in other words. In the passage that we're gonna read tonight, there's a certain level of responsibility that's placed on the life of the believer. There's a responsibility to be two things, salt and light. So as we read this passage, I want you to read it from this perspective of not just like, oh, we should be salt and light. I want you to read it from the perspective I have a responsibility, a duty. Someone has entrusted to me the responsibility of being salt and light in this world. And my prayer is that that mindset of responsibility would call you to action. That mindset of responsibility would stir within you, not just a, oh, it's not a big deal, salt and light. I've heard it a million times, but would genuinely create this desire within you, this, in a good way, sense of pride within you that I'm gonna be salt and light to the best of my ability. Matthew chapter five, starting in verse 13. This is what it says. You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but put it on a stand. And it gives light to all that are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. Let's pray together. God, thank you so much for who you are. Lord, I thank you for your word. Lord, I thank you for the truth that is in it. Lord, I pray that as we read this passage tonight and as we look at it through the lens of a responsibility that we have as believers to be salt and light, Lord, may you speak to us, speak directly to our hearts, Lord, speak directly to my heart. Remove me from the equation and speak directly to us, Lord. We love you. It's in your holy and your precious name I pray, amen. All right, tonight, as we read this passage, I want us to ask three questions about ourselves. This is gonna be a very introspective, is that the right word? Whoa, introspective passage that we're gonna walk through tonight, okay? First question I want you to ask yourself is this, is does my salt have taste? Does my salt have taste? Look at it again, verse 13. You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. Salt serves three main purposes. It serves a lot of different purposes, but in this context, three main purposes. You know what they are? Number one is that salt adds flavor, right? That's predominantly how we would use salt. It adds a little flavor to something. And here's the thing about salt adding flavor. Salt is never the main dish. Salt is never the main ingredient of a dish. If you find an ingredient or if you find a cooking recipe on Pinterest or whatever it is that you do, and you are going for it, and it says, hey, main ingredient, salt. It's gonna be a really bad, really, really bad. I'm getting distracted. Everybody walked in all at like once. Hey, we're glad you are here. Welcome. Oh, WorshipU? How was it? Hey, WorshipU was leading Worship in middle school. Would you give them a round of applause? I went in there and heard them earlier, and they did a phenomenal job. I'm really sorry. I get super distracted really easily. And everyone started walking, and I was like, what is happening right now? I was trying to... But salt, it adds taste, right? It gives it a little something that it was missing. It preserves. Now, in this day and age, that was a big deal. You don't have freezers. You don't have ways that you can keep like meat like good for a long period of time. So what would they do? They would put salt, they would cover in salt, and it would preserve it. But it also, listen to this, salt has a tendency to draw out thirst. So let's think about those three things for a second. Salt, it adds flavor. It's a complimentary flavor. So here's the question that I have for you is this. Does the way you live your life compliment your Savior? Listen, I'm not asking, are you the main ingredient? Because salt is never the main ingredient. If salt is the main ingredient, it's a bad recipe. You are not the main ingredient. Your responsibility is when people see the fruit of your life, and for this illustration, when they taste the fruit of your life, they say, there's something different about that. Something that's missing in everything else. That's what salt does. You're like, this isn't quite what it needs to be. Add a pinch of salt. That was it. You ever done that before while you're cooking? You just add a little, and you're like, that's exactly what it needed right there. Salt, add that little bit of flavor, and say, mm, that was it. When people see your life, when they taste the fruit of your life, they tell that person knows Christ. It's a preservation. It preserves things. Salt preserves. In a culture that is anti-God, my question to you is this, or my statement, rather, is this. You have a responsibility, there's that word, responsibility, to preserve holiness. In a culture that you are growing up in is anti-God, you have a responsibility, students, to preserve holiness. Here's what that means. Someone has to stand up for what's true. Someone has to stand up for what's biblical. Someone has to stand up for what is right and what is wrong, and you, as a believer, have a responsibility to do just that, to preserve what is holy, to not waver from what is true and what is said in Scripture. There's a responsibility that's not just meant for the pastor. It's meant for anyone that would call themselves a follower of Jesus Christ, a responsibility to preserve that which is holy. Also, like I said, salt, that's something else, creates thirst. What happens when you drink salt water? You get thirsty. It doesn't quench your thirst. It dehydrates you quicker. Salt has a tendency to draw out thirst. So here's my question to you in regards to that. Thinking about, okay, does my salt have taste? When people are around you, are they thirsty for the things of God?
Or do you quench that? Or do you like snuff that out of them? When people are with you, are they like, oh, I got a little taste of that, I just need more. I need more of that Jesus that they talk about so often. Does the way you live your life draw out a desire within other people to know God and to be known by God? It's like you're walking through the desert and you've got your water. I don't know why your water's right here, but you've got your water, right? And everyone around you is thirsty. And you should, I got the water. And people should see that and be drawn to it. People who are dying of thirst. You've been really thirsty before? Like, I'm talking like, not just like on parched, I'm talking like you've been working outside all day long. It's hot, you're dead tired and your mouth is just dry. Think about it, not even working outside. The most thirsty moments in my life have been as soon as I wake up, like in the middle of the night. You ever been that thirsty? Like you wake up and I'm a fan sleeper. I got my fans on. Anybody got your fan going? Okay, I like it cold in my room. So I've got ceiling fan on. My wife has her fan blowing at her. I've got my fan blowing at me. Like fans from every angle. And listen, I'm a mouth breather when I sleep, okay? Like, so I, and that wind is blowing. I wake up, my mouth is drier than the Sahara desert, okay? And I'm like, I'm so thirsty. And if there's a water bottle next to me, it's getting all, I'm just like, I'm guzzling the whole thing immediately. You ever wake up and just thirsty like that? Am I the only one? Okay, thank you. There's a couple of y'all. Thank you very much. I don't like that kind of thirsty. Like so thirsty and you're taking it in. I was like, oh, I feel so much better. There is a world that is surrounding you and I that is perpetually thirsty. And as salt in the earth, you have a responsibility to point that thirst and say, hey, I know you're thirsty. I have what you need. That salt draws out that thirst and it reveals that to them. You say, hey, I have exactly what you need. I have the living water. Does my salt have taste? Second question is this. Is my light on display? Look at verse 14 and 15, it says this. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. I love this passage and I love what it's talking about. I'm gonna read it one more time. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all that are in the house. You have a responsibility, students, again, responsibility there, to be the light of the world. It doesn't say you guys are the light of the world. You are the light of the world. I think a lot of the reasons when we don't allow our light to shine is because we think to ourselves, oh, someone else will do it. There's plenty of lights out there. It doesn't need to be me. Students, realize something. You may be the only light that some people ever encounter. And you have a responsibility to be the light of the world that the passage is talking about. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. If you are in Christ, the light is inside of you already. I think a lot of times we have an issue, though. We hide our light one of two ways most of the time. One, sometimes I think we hide our light by trying to cover it up. And the passage addresses that. It says, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all in the house. I think a lot of times what we have a tendency to do is we will take our light and we will try to cover it with things so that people don't know or people don't ask us or people don't this, that, whatever it is. And it comes from a place of shame or embarrassment. Well, I'm not gonna talk about God in my school because what are people gonna say about me? So you cover that light. Well, I'm not gonna talk about him on my sports team because those guys have probably heard it already, right? And we cover the light. And just one after another, we cover the light. But I think another issue that we have, especially in our culture, is that we hide our light by, we drown it out. And here's what I mean by drown it out. If you and I are the lights of the world, there's a responsibility we have not only to let our light shine, to allow our light to shine in places that are dark. A light that is not among darkness serves very little purpose. But a light that's in darkness stands out, stands out way more. Here's what I want you to learn, students. Hold on. Here's what I want you to get. This light has been on all night long. Probably didn't notice it, though. I am not trying to teach you that you need to strictly surround yourself with people who are lost. What I am telling you is this, is you need to be actively developing relationships with lost people because if your light is constantly surrounded by other light, you're not giving it an opportunity to shine in dark places. There's a beautiful quote, and I wish I knew who said it, but it goes like this. No matter how fast light travels, it always finds that darkness has beaten it to its location. There's a responsibility you and I have to be a light in a dark place. And trust me, students, there are plenty of opportunities to be a light where there is no light. Brian, thank you so much. Will you bring those lights back up? Here's my challenge for you. Again, I'm not telling you, listen, your closest friends need to be those who are like-minded, who are following after the Lord, who are pushing you to look more like Christ. But my question to you is this. Who are those lost friends that you have that in your mind, you're saying, oh, they're not just my lost friends. I am actively building relationships with them in order to bring them to Christ. Who are those people in your life? And listen, I'm preaching to myself here because guess what I do. I wake up, I come to church. I wake up, I go to work at the church and I go with my friends who all work at the church. And my wife knows the Lord, I've got neighbors who know the Lord. I'm preaching to myself here. I need to be actively finding opportunities to build relationships with lost people. I don't know where that, that could be the barbershop, that could be on the pickup court, that can be wherever. But you need to be actively finding spaces where you can allow your light to shine in darkness. Third and final point is this, I'll do it very quickly. Do my works, reflect Christ. Look at the last verse, it says this in verse 16. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. As believers, we have this, again, responsibility to do two things, reflect God's character and extend his kingdom. Will McKay said that when I was in college and it just blew my mind. To reflect God's character and to extend his kingdom. Look at what the passage says one more time. In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works, see your good works and do what? And give glory to you. That's not what the passage says. What does it say? And give glory to who? Your Father. I love that. I have a little, I just, I write in my Bible, I have just a little, to remind myself again, not to me. See your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. You are not the main character. You are not the main character in your own story. I think Brent Crowe says something about that. We're like, if you are the main character in the story that you're telling, your story is not worth telling. You have a responsibility, students, to reflect God's character and extend his kingdom through the way that you live your life. We're gonna enter a time of invitation and response. And here's my challenge to you. I don't know where you stand with Christ. If you know the Lord, perhaps your response tonight needs to be, hey, I've been covering my light with all sorts of different stuff, and it's time for me to allow my light to shine. Or maybe your response is, hey, my light is shining, but I have no lost friends. I have no people that I've been surrounding myself with that need the gospel. In fact, I've been kind of pushing them away because in my mind, they're bad people. I can't hang around those bad people. Jesus hung around bad people all the time. Now, listen, if those bad people start to influence you more than you're influencing them, that's a problem. But you still need to have people in your life that you are actively trying to bring to the gospel and win for the sake of the gospel.
Cool. Maybe your prayer tonight needs to be, Lord, give me eyes to see the lostness, the darkness that's around me. But if you're in this room tonight and you don't know the Lord, listen to me really quick. Y'all take such good notes and I love that y'all do that. I'm so thankful. Don't write this down, I just want you to look right here. If you're in this room tonight and you don't know the Lord, there is no greater decision that you will ever make in your life than to surrender your life to Christ. There is no greater joy. Some of you in this room right now, I've been looking for answers in all these different places. Academics, relationships, achievements, sports, trophies, your parents' approval, your friends' approval, what people say about you on social media, you've been looking for all these different places and none of it has satisfied. I'm telling you, students, if you don't have a relationship with the Lord, if you do not know him as your personal Lord and Savior, make that decision tonight. Surrender your life to him. Allow him to fill you with his Holy Spirit and begin to transform you from the inside out. You might be sitting here, you might be saying, well, I got some things in my life that I gotta fix before I can do that. That's not how it works. You don't clean yourself off before you get in the shower. You get in the shower and you allow the shower to clean you off. You don't clean yourself up before you come to know Christ. You step into a relationship with him. He's the one that begins to clean you off. He's the one that begins to change you. If you don't have a relationship with him tonight, make that decision. Turn to him. Confess your sins to him. He is faithful and just to forgive your sins. However the Lord is working in your hearts tonight, don't leave this place without being obedient, doing business with him. As always, this altar is open. Remember, I got a rule. No one comes down to this altar alone. I don't care if you know them or not. If you see someone down here by themselves, just come put an arm around them, pray for them. However the Lord is prompting you to respond tonight, be obedient to him. Let's pray together. Father God, thank you for who you are. Lord, I thank you for the gift that it is to know you and to be known by you. For as we enter this time of response, may you be honored and may you be glorified by everything that we say and do. We love you, Lord. It's in your holy and your precious name that I pray. Amen. Let's stand, let's sing, and let's respond together.