And if you'll take your Bibles, and turn if you would. We'll start in John chapter three this morning. John chapter three again this morning If you don't do not know John three sixteen through 18, I hope you will know it by time we get through with our series here. Again, this is the last last one of this but we've read it for the past two Sundays. We'll read it again to introduce the message again today.

John three sixteen through 18. I know many of you can quote John three sixteen without looking at your Bible there but we want to we also want to focus this particularly this morning as we have on verse 17. So, let's read it there together. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.

He that believeth on him is not condemned. He that believeth not is condemned already because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. Once more this morning, thank you Lord for this day and this opportunity to praise your name together. Thank you for your word and thank you of the wonderful story that it tells us of how Jesus came from heaven to die on the cross.

For the sins of a lost world, to save our souls from sin and hell, and to make us your children, to give us eternal life, to restore in us the image that was marred by sin. Lord, thank you for what you've done for us. Lord, may we see the need to take that message to others this day, this week, this month, this year. To our neighbor across the street, and to those around the world who need Jesus. Lord, help us to see our part in this and help us to feel burdened to fulfill it.

To the praise, of our savior Jesus Christ, and for the love of God of others for whom you died. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. In John three seventeen, we read about Christ's mission. Why did Christ come into the world?

He came into the world not to condemn it because it already stood condemned but he came in the world. He came into the world to save it, to save us from ourselves, to save us from our just punishment. By taking that punishment upon himself. By paying the price that we could not pay and by offering to us that which we could never earn. Salvation, forgiveness, and eternal life in Jesus Christ, our savior.

In first Timothy 115, Paul wrote, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of who am I am chief. Why did Jesus come into the world? He came into the world to save you and to save me. And to save people on the other side of the world. He came to die for the sins of the world.

To offer sinners a way of escape. To offer sinners redemption through his blood and eternal life in heaven. To offer them a new life in Jesus Christ. He came to save sinners, His mission. For we are all sinners.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's not one of us that can look to the 10 commandments and say, well, you know, I've kept them all. Never once have I lied. Never once. Have I dishonored my parents.

Never once have I taken God's name in vain. Never once have I stolen anything. Never once have I coveted. There is not one of us who can say that we have not broken his commandments and thus, Jesus had to die on that cross. To pay the price that was ours to pay who were the transgressors and the breakers of God's law.

Yes, we are sinners and we are sinners who cannot change ourselves. We cannot change who we are in our heart. We can reform some of the things we do. But only Jesus can cleanse us from our sin. He came to save sinners.

How did, what was the means by which he was going to provide this? By the sacrifice of himself on the cross but God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ what? Died for us. He didn't say, okay, now you you do this and you do that and you do this and then I'll die for you. Now, he died for us when we were sinners and he offers us salvation as sinners if we will repent and trust in him.

First Peter three eighteen puts it this way, for Christ also hath once suffered for sins. Who sins? Mine. The just for the unjust. Christ for me.

That he might bring us to God together. We were separated by sin. Being put to death in the flesh on the cross of Calvary but quickened or made alive again by the spirit when he came out of that grave. That is the good news. That is the gospel and that is the means by which Jesus and God have provided for us to be saved from sin and hell.

He became sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him and if you will receive it, Christ will exchange his righteousness to us. In turn, taking the punishment for us on the cross of Calvary. This is the means by which he procured our redemption. But now comes our part, our part. You have a part in the salvation of sinners.

You have a part in the redemption of humanity. As the father has sent me, Jesus said, so what? Send I, you. We have a part. His mission has now become whose mission?

Our mission. The mission of the church. He commanded so he commanded in Matthew 28. All powers given unto me in heaven and earth. Go you therefore and teach or make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the holy ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and low, I am with you always even into the end of the world.

Amen. Jesus before he went back to heaven to the father, before he left this world in bodily form, he said to his disciples, he said, now, it's your turn. It's your turn to go into the world and to make disciples, converts. To Christ. Through the preaching of the gospel and then to baptize them in the name of Jesus and teach them how to become the disciples and the ambassadors to the next generation because that mission is ongoing until the day Christ comes back to take us home.

That mission is ours. As much as it was theirs. And God sent us a helper to help us in this mission but you shall receive power after the holy ghost has come upon you and you shall be witnesses unto me both Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Jesus said, go and testify of me. Be my witnesses to the world.

And I will send the holy ghost, the holy spirit who will guide you, help you, teach you, empower you to be that. Our part in the mission to be the witnesses to the power of God and the salvation in Jesus Christ to make converts to the preaching of the gospel to take the gospel to every creature. How do we do that? And that's what we started last week and we'll finish this morning. How are we to be the ambassadors of Jesus Christ?

How do we represent him here? How do how are we these witnesses that we are called to be? We're going to look at a few things. First of all is this, if you're going to be witnesses, you need to be salt and light. God has called us to be salt and light.

In this world, you are the salt of the earth. Jesus says, but of the salt have lost his savior wherewith shall it be salted. It is thenceforth good for nothing to be cast down and be trodden under the foot of men. Jesus said to his disciples, you are now the salt of the earth. You are the the stuff that I have given to this world to make a difference, to hold back the wickedness of the world, and to make the world palatable to God through the salvation of lost souls through the proclamation of the gospel.

Go and be salt in this world but if you keep your mouth shut and if you live just like the rest of the world, you have lost your what? Your savior, your purpose. You must be different. You need to get used to that. Salt is different and thus salt makes a difference.

If it loses that difference, then it ceases to make a difference in the world. So, don't become like the world. Become like the savior. And be the salt. You are the light of the world.

A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candlestick and put it under a bushel but on a candlestick and you give us 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. Not just words but also what? Works, actions.

For actions often speak louder than words. Let your actions along with your words shine a light out into a dark world to point them to Jesus. Be that salt and be that light How are we that salt and light? How are we different from the world around us First of all, by being holy. First Peter 114 through 16, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lust in your ignorance but as he which hath called you as holy, so be holy in all manner of conversation because it is written be holy for I am holy.

What does it mean to be holy? It means to be set apart from what? From sin. It means to be set apart from sin and to be set apart unto God. That's what holy means.

We are set apart from the world and from sin and we are set apart as Christians, as children of God, unto the purposes and the praise and the glory of the one who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light. To show forth his praises, his goodness, his love, his holiness, his justice. In a world that is getting darker. Every day. And we see that, don't we?

You would think that man would learn his lessons. You would think we would see that war does not profit. And yet what's happening on the other side of the globe and has been happening for months now. Senseless war. One country attacking another.

Knocking down buildings. And schools. And factories killing, maiming, taking away the livelihood It's very sad. It is the legacy of sinful humanity apart from God. The darkness of this world in Texas and in Buffalo.

The murder, senseless murder of people and children. You would think we would learn. Yeah. You would think we would grow. You would think there would be a way to stop these terrible tragedies.

There is a way and that way is Jesus because these only stop as God changes the hearts of men and women and makes them to be his children. Gives them a new heart, and a new hope, and a new reason for living. We live in a dark world that has lost its hope. We live in a dark world that has lost its direction. We live in a dark world that has been overcome by sin.

And they need to see Jesus and they need to see in us that following Jesus is a life of joy and fulfillment. They need to see in us that there is joy in serving the savior and there is freedom. And allowing him to lead us They need to see that what God wants is genuinely important to us. That we're not just a bunch of hypocrites that spout off a lot of good words. But isn't delighted and excited to follow the Lord.

They need to see in us that God what God wants is of greater value than the praise of men. Why is it? Why is it that that that preachers in pulpits and teachers and what once were Christian universities are espousing doctrine that is entirely 180 degrees contrary to the word of God today. Why would they do that? Why would they teach that men can be women and women can be men that marriage is something other than what God created between a man and a woman.

That killing an unborn child is not murder. How can they teach that you evolved without God? From an amoeba into a man. And I'm not talking about the world that is already declared they don't believe in God. But many who still say they do and teach the opposite.

Why is that? They've chosen the praise of men over the praise of who? God. They've lost their savior and their light is being taken out. Let us show the world that what God values is of greater value to us than the praise of men.

Let us demonstrate that the power of God and the spirit of God can overcome the lust of the flesh. Children are told often in schools today, teenagers, you can't control yourself. It's just the way it is. You can help it and thus, we give them all kinds of things in order to escape the consequences of their sin while telling them they are helpless to do anything about their sin. That is the lie of who?

That is the lie of Satan. You can overcome the lust of flesh. You can have victory. You do not have to be in bondage to sin and the destruction that it brings and the consequences that come as a result. You can have victory in Jesus Christ.

The world needs to see that in us. The world needs to see that living for the glory of God is rewarding. But God says, delight thyself also Lord and he shall give thee the desires of your heart. They need to see that serving God is not a drudgery. Serving God is a lot.

It is a joy and they should see it by the smile on your face. As in every aspect of life, we strive to be more holy and to be like Jesus our savior. Set apart from sin and set apart unto God. Be salt and light. Show, be salt and light by being holy.

Be salt and light by your love. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples. If you have what? Love one to another. By this shall all men know that you're my disciples if you have loved one for another.

How did Jesus, he said, by this shall all men know that you are my disciples. If you don't smoke and drink. That's is that it? Is that is that how we should you smoke and drink? No, I don't think so.

I I think that comes in the said being set apart from being sin and being set apart unto who? God because those things bring destruction into your life. So, avoid them but that's not what Jesus said how the world is going to see that you are different. Not just by the things you don't do but by the things that you do. Not just by the list of do don'ts that you have over here.

Well, I'm I'm better than everybody else because I don't do this and I don't do that and I don't do that. Okay. It's awful easy to list the things you don't do. Dig hard enough. You're going to find some stuff that you're still struggling with, right?

Because my eternity, praise God, isn't based on my ability to never do anything wrong. I'd be in trouble. But it is the goodness and faithfulness and holiness of my savior upon which my eternity is founded and secured. But don't don't just focus on this list of don'ts over here. Jesus said, they will know you are my children by your love by your love for God you came here today.

Why? Now, I hope you came here because you love who? Because you love God. You want to worship him with others. Restaurants today will be full and running over.

You'll have to wait for thirty minutes or forty five minutes to get a seat because the restaurants are packed but sadly, the churches are not. People are more concerned about filling their what? Their belly than they are concerned about filling their heart. With the love of God. But you're different.

You came here today to show your love for God and the world sees that. Love your Lord with all your heart. Love your neighbor as yourself. Go out of your way. To help that neighbor.

Show others by how you react with your coworkers. That while others insult those who are already downtrodden. As while others gossip about those who have problems. As while others seek to push others down that they might exalt themselves. You show them the love of Christ and that you love your neighbor.

By lifting up the law. By showing them the kindness of God. By keeping your mouth shut and not gossiping about your neighbor. By going the extra what? The extra mile.

As Jesus said, by turning the other what? Cheek. Show them the love of God and the love of your father in heaven. For your fellow creatures who God created By this, shall all men know that you are my disciples. If you have love for one another.

Show them by being holy in every aspect of your life. Choosing to please God. Over the world and the lust of the flesh. Show them by your love. Show them by your boldness, to open your mouth, to stand for the truth, and to tell others of their need of a savior.

And of his love. And of the salvation that he gives. Tell them the gospel. Romans one sixteen, Paul says, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Paul was a Jew. Most of the Jews would have nothing to do with the Greeks but not Paul. Paul said, no, Jesus died for what? For who? For all.

And I am not ashamed to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone. That believes. I am not ashamed to take a stand for Jesus. I am not ashamed to tell them the truth.

But they need a savior. And that Jesus died for them. Let us not be ashamed to tell our neighbor, to tell our coworker, to tell our relative, to tell our friend that Jesus loves them. But they must receive him by faith in order to receive his gift of everlasting life. Do not be afraid to open your mouth to tell them.

Do not be afraid to hand them a track off of that table back there. Do not be afraid to invite them to a service to hear the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Be bold. If you're going to be salt and light, you're going to have to be bold and unashamed. Give them the gospel.

I like to use what's called the Romans Road and I add a few verses to it but let me just quickly give you the Romans road with a few additions this morning. How you can boldly tell others about Jesus Christ. And what he did for them. I just like to start with John three sixteen. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

But what is Jesus talking about there? What what is this about perish? What does that mean? What's eternal life? Well, let's start out with perish.

Without Jesus, we will what? We will perish because we are all sinners and will be cast into a place called the Lake Of Fire. It is a real place. And a place that God does not want any of us to go. Which is why he sent his son.

But we are all sinners and we have earned our place there. Romans three ten for as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. So, you look at the guy that committed murder in jail and you look at the thief and the burglar and you look at the adulterer and you say, well, I'm not a sinner, they are. But we avoided the, well, thou shalt not lie or bear false witness against your neighbor or honor thy father and mother or thou shalt not take God's name in vain or thou shalt not covet. We're all sinners.

None of us have earned a place in heaven. We are not righteous on our own because our righteousness, the Bible says, is as filthy rags because it's tainted with our sin. For all of sin, Romans three twenty three and come short of the glory of God. How did this all start? What started back in the Garden Of Eden with Adam and Eve?

Romans five five twelve, whereas for as by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men for that all have what? Sin. So death, the judgment of God is passed upon all men for that all have sinned. That includes me, that includes you. Romans six twenty three, for the wages of sin is death, it is the judgment of God.

Upon the world. Hebrews nine twenty seven says, for his appointed unto man wants to what? Die and after this, the judgement. Who's the judge? Am I your judge?

Are you my judge? No. God's the judge. God will judge based upon his word, based upon his law. In Revelation 20, it tells us about that judgment for which every lost sinner will stand.

I saw the dead small and great, stand before God, the books were open, another book was open which is the book of life, and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their what? Works. Okay? So, God opens the books. If God opens the books and he's going to judge me based according to my works.

He will find that I fall short. For all have sinned and come what? Short. Why? Because every good work I do is tainted by 10 bad ones.

He will find that we are sinners and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death And whosoever was not found written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. So there's two books that were opened. Book of your works and the book of what? The book of life, okay?

If your name is not written in the book of life, you'll be judged according to your what? Works and you'll be found what? Guilty and cast in the lake of fire. But if your name is found written in the book of life, you will escape the judgment of the lake of fire and instead, spend eternity with God in heaven. So, the question is, how do I get my name in this book so that I will not be judged according to the things in this book?

How do I get my name written in the book of life? For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whoso believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. You get your name written in this book by becoming a child of God through faith in who? Jesus Christ. Receiving therefore everlasting life in him.

Romans five eight tells us what Jesus did so we could be saved, so you could be saved. Romans five eight, but God commended his love toward us and that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. He paid that price on the cross. He died the just for the unjust that he might restore our relationship with God and our eternity with him. Romans six twenty three says, for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord and you can have eternal life.

You can get your name written in that book and forever escape the judgment of the works in this book if you will choose who? If you'll choose Jesus. If you'll receive him. By faith. As your Lord.

This is the good news of the gospel and it tells us how we receive that. Romans ten nine, ten, and thirteen that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, that Jesus is Lord. Believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead. You shall be what? You shall be saved.

For with the heart, man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Acts sixteen thirty one, Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, what must I do to be saved? They said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. In John one twelve, it says, as many as received him, that's Jesus, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.

I did that when I was nine years old. I'm going to heaven one day. I have a place reserved for me. You say, well, that's awful bold and of you. But I'm not going there because of me.

I'm not going there because I've earned it, because I'm better than anybody else. It's just because I have a better savior. Just because when I was nine years old, I went forward and I asked the Lord to save my soul and I trusted my eternity to the hands of Jesus Christ who loved me and gave himself for me and I became a child of God. And it doesn't matter whether you're nine or 90. If you're here and breathing, the invitation is open.

Will you receive Jesus Christ? My message this morning though is not so much about will you receive for most of you have. But will you take this message to your neighbor? Will you boldly speak it to your coworker? Will you hand them a track that has these verses on it?

And encourage them to read it? Will you invite them to a service like this one where they can hear it and be saved? If you are to be salt and light, if you are to fulfill your mission, you need, we need to purpose to take those tracks and give them to somebody. We need to purpose to bring people into this building to hear the gospel because if you notice, they're not flooding in here on their own. We need to purpose to be bold and open our mouth and then finally, this morning, if we are to be salt and light, we can be salt and light by assisting in reaching the lost world which we cannot reach ourselves.

Can I give the gospel to somebody in the Ukraine today? Somebody that doesn't have a computer and Skype? Can I give them the gospel? I can. Say, how can you do that?

You can't be in two places at what? Once. But we can support missionaries who take that message and share it with people in the Ukraine. We can give and support missionaries who've been called of God to take that message to England and to take that message to Uruguay and to take that message to Brazil and to take that message to The Philippines and to share with others the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That's why Jesus said in Matthew nine thirty eight, pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labors into his harvest and he is.

Pray for more but when he calls them, we need to support them. Pray for pray for the labors that God sends into the world. Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course and be glorified even as it is with you and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked for all men have not faith. Paul says, please pray for us as we minister. Pray for us.

You can pray for them. You can have a part in their ministry and bringing souls to Christ by praying for them. You can have a ministry by helping provide them with support so they can go and focus on their ministry but I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last your care of me has flourished again wherein you were also careful but you lacked opportunity. Not withstanding, you have done well that you did communicate with my affliction. Paul is thanking the Philippian church for the gift, for the gift of provision, and the gift of encouragement they had sent to him and that's what Worldwide Missions, Faith Promise Missions is about.

It's about supporting, encouraging, and giving so that others can go and reach those we can't for Jesus Christ and as we're preaching here today, they could be preaching there and souls can be being saved. You can have a part in that and as Christians, we must. We must pray, give, encourage, and if the Lord calls, go. Thus, Christ included us in his mission. He finished the sacrifice which was required to pay required to pay the price for man's rebellion on the cross and make the way for their salvation but we also have a part to play in the salvation of humanity.

And being salt and light. We have been sent with a mission are we fulfilling? Are you fulfilling? That mission. Are you doing your part?

You can. Don't listen to the devil that says you can. You can pray. You can give. You can go.

You can take. The message. You can you can tell somebody about Jesus today. And if you're here today and you've never made that choice to choose Jesus, who died for you. As we give this hymn of invitation, I beg with you, I plead with you, and I'm going to pray for you in just a moment.

That you would come. And receive Jesus today. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you Lord for all that you've done for us and now Lord, I thank you for the mission that you have given to us and I pray that we would take up that that gauntlet that we would take up that mission that you have put before us and that we would not fail to be salt and light in this world by our deeds and by our words. May we point people to Jesus Christ.

And Lord, I pray if there be one here today that is yet to trust Christ as savior this, We begin this hymn of invitation that they would come. And that I might have the opportunity to talk to them and they to receive your gift of everlasting life. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. The Lord has spoke to your heart today as we sing this hymn.

I pray that you would talk with him. You don't have to sing. And if you're here and you haven't trusted Christ, please come.