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A City on a Hill

  "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven”. Matthew 5:13-16 NIV

Jump ahead 16 centuries from Jesus’ sermon on the mount.

John Winthrop had a vision in 1630, aboard a ship sailing across the Atlantic Ocean to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he would serve as Governor. He wrote a sermon about the example the colonists would set in the new world. In John Winthrop’s vision, the colony would be as a city on a hill, for the whole world to see, how Christians would live.

Most of Winthrop’s sermon dealt with giving -- not the subject of my sermon here today -- but one I will mention for historical background.

Winthrop said that Christians needed to give first out of their abundance, as they are blessed by God. And God would abundantly give back to them. Secondly, they needed to give to fellow Christians in need, according to their need, and God would provide for them when they might someday be in need. Thirdly, in extraordinary circumstances, when God had a special purpose, they were to give sacrificially, as a measure of their faith, and God would reward their faith. And finally, they were to give to their enemies, because as one redneck put it “it messes with their heads.”

Now I admit, when I first read of Winthrop’s vision of the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a City on a Hill for all the world to see, I thought it a pathetic justification for running away from serving as a witness for Christ back in England. After all, across the Atlantic Ocean, traveled only by explorers, traders and pirates, who would notice these few hundred people eking out an existence on the shores of Massachusetts Bay. And even of those who did venture across the Atlantic, who would care.

Now jump ahead another two and a half centuries. That vision came to a glorious fruition when a grand lighthouse was raised in New York harbor.

Designed by a Frenchman named Eiffel and dedicated by Grover Cleveland in 1886, the Statue of Liberty stood at the gateway to America and as a testimony to the world of the freedom, prosperity, and liberality of the American way of life.

An inscription was placed on the pedestal of the great symbol of America. It reads:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

A century later, another American leader had a vision of America as a City on a Hill. Ronald Wilson Reagan envisioned an America that held out the promise of Peace, Liberty, and Prosperity to the huddled masses suffering under repressive regimes of the Communist world. But unlike John Winthrop, Mr. Reagan saw the fulfillment of his vision in his lifetime. Aided by satellites 22,000 miles above the earth, America is now a country for all the world to see, and to see in real time, not after several weeks of travel in a transatlantic ship.

In 1989, in China’s Tiananmen Square, just months after Reagan left office, Chinese student protesters displayed a 35-foot tall likeness of the Statue of Liberty constructed in just 4 days out of paper-mache and styrafoam, a statue they named The Goddess of Democracy.

But the same satellite technology that shows our virtues to the world, also shows our filth. What does the average Saudi Arabian think Americans are like?

In the 1980’s the top rated American show in Saudi Arabia featured the Ewing family in Dallas. Saudis saw Americans as incredibly rich and self-indulgent.

In the 1990’s they viewed Americans beautiful people as shown on Baywatch.

What is it in the 2000’s? The Osbournes?

Our current American President has another vision of a City on a Hill. In George Bush’s vision that city is Iraq. He wants to make Iraq a model of peace, prosperity, freedom and democracy for all the Middle East to see.

Unfortunately there are enemies of that vision. The King and princes of the house of Saud, Jordan’s King Hussein, the Emirs of Kuwait, the Sultan of Brunei, the Emir of Dubai, and President Assad of Syria, to name a few, are leaders that were never popularly elected on a competitive ballot. Their positions are threatened by the idea of democracy in the Middle East. Turkey is one example of a democracy in the region that works. They would like to avoid having many more examples.

One thing few Americans understand, actually few people anywhere, is how these Kings and Princes have double-crossed the Palestinian people. While saying that they are for a Palestinian nation, these kings are making sure that it never happens.

There are many political organizations trying to represent the Palestinian people. Three of the main groups are the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Hamas, and Hezbollah. The Middle Eastern kings support them all, but to various degrees at various times. They want to make sure that no one group ever becomes too powerful, so they keep them competing for power. When one group gets enough backing of the Palestinian people that they might actually be able to negotiate a peace agreement, the kings start sending their money to one of the rival organizations.

It’s a formula designed to create perpetual infighting among the Palestinian people as each group engages in the terrorist game of “Can you top this?”

As we consider the enemies of Christ, we must be ever cautious of infighting. If the Catholics are fighting the Baptists and the Baptists are fighting the Pentecostals and the Pentecostals are fighting the Catholics, who is winning the lost?

We are saved, not by baptism, or by speaking in tongues, or by Holy Communion, but by the grace of God and by faith in Christ. Paul warns Timothy, “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,”

2 Timothy 2:24

Here in this country built on faith in God and in Christ, it is easy to get caught in the trap of infighting. There are so many Christians and its easy to “score points” against them. To play a sort of “I’m a better Christian than you because I believe more correctly.”

When you are in a country where less than 10% of the population is Christian, or even less than 1% professes belief in Jesus, the focus becomes much more clear.

Once upon a time, three people were sent out into an apple orchard to pick fruit. One was a tall man. The second was a short woman. The third was a child that was so small she needed a ladder to reach any of the branches at all.

The three went out into the orchard and began to pick apples. They all worked hard for about an hour and soon they were very proud of the apples they had picked. The baskets got heavy and soon they were working much harder to carry the baskets around than they were in picking. They all stopped picking apples and began considering the apples that had already been picked. They counted their apples. They admired their apples, and seeking to be considered the best apple-picker, they began to criticize the apples that the others had picked.

“Your apples are the wormiest,” said one.

“Well your apples are still too green,” said another.

“I don’t think its fair to use a ladder to pick,” said the third.

And for the rest of the day they argued amongst themselves about who was the best apple-picker. They argued so vigorously, that although they did occasionally take an apple or two from each other’s baskets, they never picked another apple off a tree for the rest of the day.

Avoid infighting with other Christians

That’s not my first point, that’s a freebee.

So let’s get on with three ways for

Increasing the flame

To increase your brightness, increase your Holiness

President Bush wants Iraq to be a City on a Hill in the Middle East, an example to the nations all around. To achieve that mission, Americans set themselves up to be an example to the Iraqis. We sought to win their hearts and minds with acts of kindness and good deeds. After getting rid of a tyrannical regime, we went in to fix water lines and sewers, to bring medicines to the hospitals, to fix schools and clinics. When it came to the electrical supply, we didn’t do so well, but people literally died trying.

Then the pictures came out about the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. Suddenly, all the good works were forgotten. It didn’t matter that prisoners had been treated much worse in that very same prison under Saddam Hussein, Americans were held to a higher standard.

Christians are held to a higher standard. In his letter to the Philippians, Chapter 2, verses 14 and 15 Paul writes, “Do all things without grumbling or disputing; that you might prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights of the world.” (NASB)

We’ll get back to verse 14 later, but note here that Christians are to prove themselves to be blameless and innocent.

It only takes one flagrant sin to wreck a reputation. King David was a man after God’s own heart. But one night with another man’s wife tarnished his reputation forever.

But being blameless doesn’t mean being perfect.

In trying to set up Iraq as a city of a hill, the Bush Administration lamented the news coverage of the Arabic satellite news station, Al Jazeera. Al Jazeera broadcast all the faults and all the failures of the Coalition Authority in Iraq. They were all bad news, all the time.

So the Pentagon set up its own TV station, Al-Iraqiya. Al-Iraqiya broadcast all good news all the time. The problem was that no one believed Al-Iraqiya. What they broadcast was true, but because the station was 100% good news and 100% supportive of the occupation authorities, it was viewed as nothing but propaganda. So the people went back to watching Al Jazeera. Besides, bad news is more interesting than good news.

The problem with Al-Iraqiya was a lack of confessional honesty. 1 John 1:9 says, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” But in verse 8 John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (NASB)

There are two ways to avoid hypocrisy. One is live more righteously; the other is to speak more honestly.

Increasing our holiness involves not only keeping ourselves from sin, running from temptation when necessary, but also being honest when we fail.

 The second step to increasing the flame is to increase your cheerfulness.

Fifteen years ago, I worked with a guy named Edwin. Ed was a Christian, but he wasn’t a very cheerful one. Nothing seemed to go Ed’s way, and everybody knew it.

When Edwin’s first child was born, he named her Edwina. What a terrible constant reminder it was. Every time someone called her name it was like “Edwina, your dad is disappointed you aren’t a boy.” She carried that disappointment though life. So it was no surprise that Edwina, whose father’s disappointment in her was as plain as her own first name, grew up to become an unwed mother before she finished high school. It didn’t help that Edwin’s second child was a boy that he then named Edwin. Younger Eddie added insult to disappointment as he trailed his older sister.

Now Edwin the father was generally right in what he said and what he believed, but he was a sourpuss and a grump. Nobody wants a sourpuss, even if he is right

Paul wrote to the Romans in Chapter 8 verse 18, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later.” (NLT)

Paul’s sufferings, which he says are nothing to be compared with the glory of heaven, were no light and momentary discomforts. No, Paul details in the book of 2 Corinthians some of the sufferings he had to endure.

They say they serve Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in jail more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.  Five different times the Jews gave me thirty-nine lashes.  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.  I have traveled many weary miles. I have faced danger from flooded rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the stormy seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be Christians but are not.   I have lived with weariness and pain and sleepless nights. Often I have been hungry and thirsty and have gone without food. Often I have shivered with cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm (2 Corinthians 11:23-27, NLT)

Yet, Paul was convinced that none of this suffering was even measurable against the glory which is to come.

In Philippians 2:14 we saw he said, ”Do all things without grumbling or disputing.”

In Philippians 4:4 he wrote, “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice!”

We have the book of Revelation. If you’ve read it, you know who wins in the end.

Paul commands Christians to do what no Hindu can do – Rejoice! When I took a class in Hindi, I asked the teacher what the Hindi word was for rejoice. She told me that there was none. In Hinduism, happiness is something that happens to you, not something you can feel at will. You can only do good for others, and hope that goodness comes back to you.

In Christianity, it is no hope, it is a promise, and He who makes the promise is True. We know that the truth will overcome the father of lies, that light will overcome darkness, that the resurrection will overcome death. We put our trust in His promise and claim it for our own. We can rejoice because we know that any troubles we may encounter in life are but brief and passing pains.

And finally, to increase our flame we need to soak in the Spirit

The Bible talks about candles, lights and lamps.

I have here two lamps. The first one here, you can see, is full of oil. The second one has no oil. Now, I’m going to light each lamp.

Pause and light each wick.

Now the Holy Spirit is represented three ways in these lamps. Who can tell me what here is a symbol the Holy Spirit?

Oil, that’s right! The oil is used in the Bible as a symbol of the Holy Spirit. In Acts Chapter 10, verse 38, Peter tells Cornelius, “And no doubt you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the Devil, for God was with him.” (NLT)

Then in verses 44 and 45, “Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who had heard the message. The Jewish believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out upon the Gentiles, too.”

The Holy Spirit here is compared twice with anointing oil – an oil used to dedicate kings and priests.

The Flame, absolutely! Acts 2:3 and 4 describe the filling of the Holy Spirit. “Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.” (NLT)

There’s another symbol of the Holy Spirit here that you can’t see.

The Air! The oxygen in the air combines with the oil to make the flame. Take away the air and the light goes out. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John Chapter 3 verse 8, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

What’s left then, to represent us?

We are the wick and the jar.

Paul commands the Ephesians, “Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18, International Standard Version)

Now a man might have one drink because he is thirsty. He might have a second drink to be sociable. But the third and the fourth and the fifth and the sixth drink are to get drunk. Or what the English call “sotted.” To the drunk it is quite commonplace to spend 3, 4, 5, even 6 or 7 hours in a bar, filling his belly full of beer.

How much time do you spend with your Lord?

Jesus is there to quench our thirst. But do you only spend time with Him when you are thirsty?

Perhaps you linger with Him a little longer to be sociable. Jesus is our best friend. If you have devotions, are you conversing with God?

Now look what happened to our two lamps.

One has burned out. Why did this wick burn out?

It burned out because it has no oil.

The other one is still giving its light.

Are you feeling burned out? Are you tired, run down, ready to give up?

Then spend time with Jesus. Soak in the Holy Spirit.

When you think you’ve read enough Scripture, read some more. When your prayers are done, take time to listen. Soak in the Holy Spirit. Be filled by the Spirit. Be continually filled by the Spirit. Stand in awe of an awesome God. Lie in humbleness before Him. Meditate on His word. Don’t just memorize it, meditate on it. Be stupefied at His great wisdom. Soak in the Holy Spirit. Be saturated with Him.

Then you will be a light to the world, a beacon of hope to the lost, a steady lamp that never burns out.

This week many of you have an opportunity, a three day weekend. Most of us have Monday off. What will you do with it?

At the bottom of the sermon notes there are three applications for today’s message. You may pick one and fill in the blank, or perhaps the Holy Spirit is leading you to do something else. But goals are more likely to be accomplished if they are written down, so I urge you to write something down.

Perhaps the Spirit is leading you to do something this week to increase your holiness. Maybe it’s a habitual sin that needs God’s power to be overcome. Maybe you need to stop trying to project an image of perfection and get real. If so, complete the sentence “This week I will increase my holiness by…”

Perhaps the Spirit is leading you to do something this week to increase your cheerfulness. Maybe it’s a grudge that you’re carrying or a pity party that you’re lost in. If so, complete the sentence, “This week I will increase my cheerfulness by…”

Perhaps the Spirit is leading you to spend more time getting recharged and refilled by Him. Then fill in the blank, “This week I will soak in the Spirit by…”

Or maybe God is leading you to do something completely different. That’s OK. Write it down and agree with God in prayer.

Now if the Spirit hasn’t led you in any direction, either I’ve done a lousy job preaching or you need to spend some quiet time with Him. Don’t try it during the Cubs/Sox game. His still, quiet voice is pretty hard to hear over a major league sporting event, even a sport as boring as baseball. No, ask him to lead you, to guide you, to show you what He wants you to do, and if you don’t get any direction, keep asking Him as you go throughout your day.

Now let’s commit these plans to Him in prayer.

Lord, you are the light, the power, the one who changes me. Fill me. Use me. Make me a light to the world, a city on a hill, a beacon of hope. I am not these things on my own, but only through your power. God grant me the power to fulfill what I’ve written down here, what I’m committing to you this week. In Jesus name, Amen.