Greg Laurie - Make a Difference

TOPICS: Influence

Did you know that the biggest celebrities in America today are not movie stars, they’re not rock stars, they’re not TV stars, they’re media stars, specifically social media stars. They’re called influencers. Now, some social media people have a lot of followers, over 900 million. I looked it up to see who had the most followers.

The number one person out there is Cristiano Ronaldo with 901 million followers. I didn’t even know who he was. He’s what they would call a footballer. We might call him a soccer player. And then there’s Lionel Messi and he has 496 followers, Selena Gomez, she has 430 million followers. I’ve heard of her. Kylie Jenner, 399 million followers. Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, he has 395 million followers. Ariana Grande has 380 million followers. Funny thing, I got an Ariana Grande at Starbucks this morning and it was very good. And then Kim Kardashian has 364 million. Oh, is that all? You know, but that’s a lot of followers, and because of this, a lot of young people today are thinking, now why would I want to go work over there when I could be an influencer and monetize my platform and make a living doing this? One study found that fortune and fame were the first and second goals of millennials.

So what are your goals in life? Number one, fortune and fame. Number two, fortune and fame, okay? One in four millennials would quit their jobs to become famous. One in six preferred fame to having children. One in 12 admitted they would disown their family to be famous. We’re taking it a little too far here but why do we have this desire to be famous? Why would we want a lot of followers? I think it’s because, deep down inside, we want our lives to matter, we want significance, we want to be noticed. I don’t think those are bad things, by the way, but let’s just say for the sake of a point, you had 900 million followers on your Instagram page. What would you say to them? «Well, I would post a photo of myself». Okay, what else? «And my new outfit». Yeah, what else? «I have some cool cat videos». Okay, really? Listen to this. You are an influencer. You have a platform and you have a following.

Now, it could be on social media but in your world you have a sphere of influence where you influence other people. So it really comes down to this. Are you a good or are you a bad influence? Here’s what Jesus said 2000 years ago, that is very relevant to this topic of influencing others. Matthew 5, starting in verse 13, he says: «You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It’s no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people get a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine to others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven». We’ll stop there. Salt and light. Why did Jesus use these two word pictures? Answer: because the world is a dark and corrupt place and it needs salt and it needs light. You know, despite all of our advances in every field, from science and medicine and education and technology, we just go from bad to worse. Modern man has just found more ways to corrupt and destroy himself.

We go from war to greater war, from crime to greater crime, from immorality to greater immorality, from perversion to greater perversion. We’re just playing out the truth of the scripture that says: «The heart is deceitfully wicked above all things. Who can know it»? You know, if you believe that man is basically good, you’re gonna be very disappointed in life. But once you accept the biblical premise, that man is not basically good, man, and when I speak of man, I’m speaking of all humanity.

We are sinners separated from God, bringing me to point number two, something they think that they can evade the culture through isolation. You know, you try to remove yourselves and your children from our culture, but your culture will find you. And so I think we need to do everything we can to prepare ourselves and our children to live in the real world as followers of Jesus Christ. And so we want to be the salt of the earth. Our goal as Christians is not to isolate but to infiltrate and impact culture without being compromised by it.

Let me say that again. Our goal as Christians is not to isolate but to infiltrate and impact culture without being compromised by it. It’s a tricky balance. Jesus put it this way in John 17. In his prayer to the Father, he said, «I’m not asking you to take them out of the world, but to keep them safe from the evil one and I am sending them into the world». Wow, Jesus is saying, «I’m sending you into the world». So we’re effectively living behind enemy lines. As an old hymn says, «This world is not my home. I’m just a-passing through». It’s important to remember that.

So here’s point number three, as Christians, we need to invade, not evade, the culture. Invade, not evade. So we try to engage people and they don’t seem to be listening to us and you may wonder why. You might say, «Hey, you know, I try to talk to people about Jesus and they just terminate the conversation». Okay, what did you say to them? «Well, I saw this non-believer and I said, 'Hey, uncircumcised Philistine.'» Okay, there’s part of the problem. That’s a good way to burn a bridge. «'Have you been washed in the blood, sanctified, justified, redeemed? And have you become a part of the body of Christ? ' And they turned around and walked away». They don’t even know what you’re talking about. You just told them to be washed in blood and get in some body. What? We cannot assume that our listeners today understand what we’re talking about. America, in particular, has never been more biblically illiterate than it is right now. I’ve been preaching 50 years and people were more literate biblically when I started than they are today.

And so I don’t think we can assume that our listener understands even our terminology. We need to break things down, explain them, and try to find common ground with them and build a bridge to them. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:22: «I try to find common ground with everyone so I can bring them to Christ. I do all of this to spread the Good News».

Here at Harvest, our objective is to reach as many people as we can. That’s point number four, we need to bring them the message of the gospel. Now, when you bring the gospel message, know this: it’s powerful. That’s why Paul said, «I’m not ashamed of the gospel. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes». And the word that he used for power is a word that means explosive, okay? Not everyone’s gonna respond favorably to this message.

In 2 Corinthians 2 Paul says, wherever we go, the Lord uses us to tell others about him and it’s like good news. Like a sweet perfume, our lives are like a fragrance, but the fragrance is perceived differently from those who are being saved to those who are perishing. So to some, it’s a fragrance. To others, not so much. You know, some people wear too much cologne or perfume. Am I right? How do you know who they are? They’re usually sitting by themselves because they come to church, all the seats around them are empty. If they give you a hug, you smell like whatever scent they were wearing 2 hours later, you smell like Chanel number 5 and, sadly, it was a guy. Okay, but it’s like garlic. You know, garlic is great when you’re cooking, but it’s not so great on your breath afterwards, is it? So when we live as Christians, for some, it’s a sweet fragrance. They love it. For others, they actually find what we say and do offensive.

And so that’s what Paul is saying, bringing me to point number five: before I can effectively tell them, I must first live it. There’s nothing worse than a hypocritical Christian. The world is looking for authenticity. They’re looking for you to be real. We must be before we can effectively speak. We need to practice what we preach and we are to be salt. Let’s go back to that statement of Jesus again, verse 13: «You’re the salt of the Earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It’s no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under foot».

When you’re a salty Christian in the best use of that word you will stimulate in others of thirst for God. One of the greatest compliments people can pay to a Christian is when they ask, «Why are you the way that you are»? But here’s a problem. It’s when we’re not salty enough. Jesus says in Matthew 5:13, «If the salt loses its saltiness, what good is it? It’s not good for anything». «Not good for anything». Those are pretty heavy-duty words. Years ago, we were traveling to Europe, we were speaking at some pastors conferences and I bought something called a backpack stroller because Jonathan was a little guy and I had to put him in a stroller and then I had a backpack to carry him around and I didn’t want to take all of that hardware overseas.

So I said, «Well, this is a great idea. It’s one device that does both: a backpack stroller». And I didn’t test it out till I got there. And I opened this thing up and it was the worst designed object of all time because you had to hold it up the whole time. There were no back wheels. So you’re in the little stroller, but there’s no back wheels so you can’t lay it down. So you just have to hold it. And I thought, «This is impractical». And then when I put it on in the backpack form, the wheels dug into my back. So I discarded it. It was worthless. And we still, to this day, use that expression. We’ll look at something that doesn’t seem to be working and we’ll say, «It’s a backpack stroller,» right? A backpack stroller, an unsalty Christian.

Notice that Jesus says first we are to be salt, then we are to be light. First you’re salt, then you’re light. Why is it given in this order? Well, first the salt, I have a preserving effect. I create in others a thirst for God. And then having acted as salt, I can function as light and, effectively, I earn the right to be heard, see? «Well, you know what, I admire your life,» a non-believer says. «Look at your family. How do you raise kids like that in this world today,» they ask as their baby is looking at an iPad in their stroller, or they’re letting their kids behave in a crazy way with complete disrespect and total irresponsibility, or they ask you, «How can you have a smile on your face when you’re going through the hardship you’re going through»? You know, so you’ve been salt. Now, you’ve earned the right to be light and so you live it, then you speak it.

Point number eight: light exposes the darkness. It exposes the darkness. It’s funny how in the dark you can’t find something, flip on the light and you find it. You’re driving in your car at night and you’re eating a burrito and you drop it and lose it. The next morning you turn the lights on, you find that burrito and the one you lost 2 weeks ago as well, which, by the way, has become its own life form and has climbed up into your child’s car seat and strapped itself in, so. But this is the thing, light shows you things you would not otherwise see. And in the same way when a Christian is living as they should, their mere presence in a room changes the temperature, it changes the dynamic.

Here comes the salty light bulb. Hey, how’s it going? I mean, they’re in the middle of telling a dirty joke and they’re having a good time and all of a sudden you walk in and the conversation stops. I kinda like that. Here comes the representative of Jesus Christ. What’s even worse is when you know the punch line to the joke. Be that salt, be that light, be that person that makes a difference, but don’t expect a standing ovation. Jesus said, «This is the condemnation. Light has come into the world, but men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil. And everyone who is evil practices evil and they hate the light and they don’t come to the light, lest their deeds should be exposed».

And that can happen without you even saying a word. Listen, few things are harder to put up with than a good example. Few things are harder to put up with than a good example. When you’re a good example, it drives people crazy. They wanna see you mess up, they wanna see you fall short so they can say «Hypocrite,» right? You keep your light shining and how does that light shine? It shines through good works. Listen, people don’t care about how much you know, until they know how much you care. You may win the theological debate and blow your listener out of the water. Yeah, you know what? You’re smart, you had the answers but you’re mean and I don’t wanna talk to you anymore. But then you can be a loving person and help someone. «Let me help you change your tire. Let me help you do this thing you need done. Let me assist you,» and they go, «Wow, I really like this person,» and their heart will open up to you.

So we need to show people and I think that Christians do this so well. Yeah, we want to preach the gospel, but we’ll show our good works in practical ways as well. Through our church, Harvest Riverside, Harvest Orange County, and Harvest Maui, we’ve done so much in this last year alone. As last Easter was approaching, we gave away 1,500 Easter baskets for little children that had really nothing. We hosted a back-to-school event in partnership with In-N-Out Burger and the Department of Education. It helped 6,000 people. We gave out 4,000 backpacks filled with things that children need and we provided free dental care. We didn’t do it ourselves. We had actual dentists do it. I want you to know that. Be frightening, «Here, let me drill». No, not that. And they were given haircuts by professionals.

Again, people who volunteered their time, and they were given medical screenings and they were given free burgers and fries from In-N-Out Burger. And then over on Maui after the devastating wildfires that destroyed so many homes and lives were lost as well, we were there offering food pallets filled with water, diapers, other necessities. We gave away hundreds of Bibles to people and prayed with hundreds of people and hosted events for families that were demoralized and devastated by the effects of that fire. We had an evangelism team go over and share the gospel and 100 people made a profession of faith. We’re all about showing it through good works and it earns us the right to proclaim the gospel.

Point number 10: let your light shine like you were the only one in the world. Let your light shine like you were the only one in the world. Look at verse 13: «You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth». You might underline in your Bible, «You». He uses it twice. «You are the light of the world. You are the salt of the earth». In the original language, it would imply you and you alone are the salt of the earth. You and you alone are the light of the world. Question: What kind of world would we live in today if every Christian behaved just as you do? How many would be attracted or turned off to the gospel? What kind of general opinion do you think people would have of Christianity if you were its sole representative?

Now you’re thinking, «That’s kind of a lot of pressure, Greg». Hey, news flash, you are its sole representative in your sphere of influence, in some cases. You may be the only Christian some people know and they haven’t even told you this yet, but they’re watching you. And not only are they watching you, they’re hoping you slip up. But when you don’t slip up or if you do slip up, you apologize for it and own it, they say, «There’s something different about that person. I have to keep my eye on them». You’re being salt, you’re stimulating the thirst. You’re doing your job. Listen, there are five Gospels. «Greg, you’re mistaken. There’s only four». No, there’s five, actually: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and you. You’re the fifth Gospel. You’re the only Bible some people are ever going to read. They’re literally evaluating Christ based on you. «Oh, I can’t handle that».

Well, handle it, and do the best that you can, because you and you alone are the salt of the Earth. You and you alone are the light of the world. Christians are walking Epistles written by God and read by men. So let’s put this all together and wrap it up. Salt is valuable, it preserves, it stimulates thirst. Light exposes and shows us the way we do this through good works and gospel proclamation. This is who we are in this culture. Now I’m asking you, are you doing it? Listen, you and you alone make a difference. You have a part to play. I heard it once said, quote, «I am only one but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something and what I can do I ought to do and what I ought to do, by the grace of God, I will do».

So, be the salt and be the light. Now, let me close. Some of you listening to what I’m saying are not believers and you are actually living in darkness. We all are before we’re Christians. We don’t know it because, well, it’s all we’ve ever known. The story is told from history of a castle-like prison in Paris known as the Bastille that was about to be destroyed in 1789. There was a prisoner who had been confined there for years in this dark dingy place. And so, he was released and he came out of his dark prison cell and the light was so blinding, he turned back and said, «I want to be kept in the prison. I wanna die in this prison. I can’t handle the light».

And that’s just the problem is you can become too comfortable in the dark. And some people are. You ever notice how bars are so often dark? I spent a lot of time in bars. Really? Yeah, when I was a kid, living with my alcoholic mother who seemed to live in bars and I would sit around and wait for her to stop drinking so we could go home. But people living in darkness, they need the light turned on and here’s the problem. It’s not that God will not forgive you, but it’s that you could come to a point in your life where you would no longer want his forgiveness. The Bible says, «Harden not your heart if you can hear his voice».

Every time you hear the gospel and don’t respond to it in the affirmative, your heart gets a little bit harder. The Bible says, «He who is often reproved, hardens his heart and he will be cut off. And that without remedy». Let me paraphrase that. You hear the truth, you say no to the truth. Your heart gets a little tougher. So some people say, «Well, I’ll come to Christ on my deathbed». Okay, are you sure you’re gonna have a death bed? For some, death comes suddenly, without warning. They don’t know that day is their last day. For others, yes, they get older or they get sick and they know that death is coming and they’re told by people to get their affairs in order, so they’re ready to die.

But you think those people are all open to the gospel? I would hope so, but I know some people, they’ve lived so long in sin, they’re like that prisoner in that prison in Paris who’s so used to the dark, they wanna stay in the dark. So it’s not that you get to a point where God would not forgive you, as much as you get to a point where you would not want to be forgiven, you see? Because you’ve hardened your heart. The Bible says, «Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man, his thoughts. Let him return to our God who will abundantly pardon».