A Message to Moderns

This is a very long sermon, but in this day of compromise in churches, sound-bite technology, a pleasure-seeking society and "my truth" it is a very important sermon.
 
Message to Moderns

Acts 17:22-32 "Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.  For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.  Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.  God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing  he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and not find him, though he be not far from every one of us....Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.  And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent.  Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ).  And when they hard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter."
 
Here we have a sermon that gives us a very good outline of many of the things that must be preached by the church when addressing the unsaved.  It is fitting that we should look generally at this because what is the church's message?  Many think that the church must change to be relevant in this modern world when the church is going to declare the gospel to sound-bite people in a technology driven society.  What is the church's message to this society, this pleasure-seeking society, this society that doesn't really believe in any absolute truth?  What message is the church to bring that is gong to have an impact upon so-called modern people?  Many would say we need to not mention sin or judgment but that is nonsense.  The same old message that was preached by the old testament prophets and the new testament apostles is the same message that needs to be preached today in the exact same way.  It needs to be preached to a modern people who have the exact same needs as those who lived thousands of years ago, people who haven't changed one bit.  Modern life is not modern, modern life is very old, it's just the same as what life has always been.  To be a sound-bite based society means that people communicate less and in fragmented bits and technology makes no difference at all because its the same old problems.  Nothing has changed, people haven't changed.  The problem is called sin. "Hath God said?"  the serpent said to Eve questioning God's word.   Pride even in the unfallen world in the garden of Eden.  There are no different needs than any other human beings in history.

Shine Before Men - Matthew 5:13-16

Shine Before Men

Matthew 5:13-16 "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.  Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an 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."

The Lord Jesus Christ in this part of the sermon on the mount is now telling his people what they are in the world, in relation to the sinful world.  Christians by their very nature are a number of things:  they are salt, and they are light.  A purifying influence, a preserving influence and a flavor enhancer that shows what real life is.  And the salt stings on the world's sin, and the salt preserves from further deterioration on society, and the salt shows the flavor of real life.  How? says the ungodly.  The world thinks that Christians do not have real life.  The world thinks that the Christian's life is probably boring.  Here is how we have real life:

When the world looks at a true Christian family, they see a father who is respected and obeyed by his children.  They see a mother who is a keeper at home, who has time to be a mother, a wife, a helper to her husband who is loved and appreciated.  The world sees children who are submissive and protected, and are happy and at peace.  They see the whole family working in a harmony and order.  Father stays with mother and mother stays with father.  They see children that are raised by both parents like God has ordained and commands in the Bible. It is a witness, it is salt that stings, its a preserving agent and it shows real enhanced flavor of life.  Jesus Christ is the head of every Christian family, and every member of that home and family obeys his word and everyone is cared for and has their duties and their privileges.

Compare that with the poor single mom in the world, raising her children because father is gone, because he is a womanizer, and he leaves his wife.  He is selfish.  Or compare the Christian family with the career woman, of immodest dress, and she is subject to flattery and wanders away.  She has broken her family and her marriage for what?  She justifies everything she does.

The pattern of family life has changed.  Immoral family life is justified by adults that neglect their responsibilities.  Who has real enhanced flavor of life?  the world may laugh and joke about the quaint Christian family, but when they look at the wreckage of their own families, it stings.  Who has self-value?  who is really respected and cared for, and who sits alone, bitter and rejected and looking for company?

God's word lays out what marriage is, what family is, how family is run.  Anything less is sin.  All unfaithful single parents, all adulterers, it is all sin.  Sin needs to be felt, convicted of and repented of.  Christians are the salt of the earth.  Is it not sad when in some Christian families the salt has lost its savor. 

Jesus says "ye are the light of the world"  Christians are the reflected light of Christ, he is the light and we are the reflected light of Christ. The more holy we are, the more we reflect the light of Christ, the light of scripture into the darkness of the ignorance of God in this sinful world.