Sermon Notes from August 2/3, 2008

Sermon Notes for Small Group Leaders
August 2/3, 2008
Andy Sieberhagen, Guest Speaker
Matthew 5:13-16


Outline
1. Salt on its own is awful. The church doesn’t exist only for itself. Look to expand God’s kingdom.
2. We are God’s preservatives. When righteousness and peace prevail, we can stop the world from becoming rotten.
3. Salt lengthens life. We can help people find eternal life.
4. Salt gives flavor to food, as we are the flavor of life – God’s flavor.


Content
1. A church’s vision should include the whole world.
2. All men die, but not all men live. We should live for something way bigger than we are to be really
alive.
3. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing.
4 God has equipped us to make a difference.
5. Ghandi said, “If all Christians were like Jesus, all India would be Christians.”
6. We need to be agents of God’s grace.
7. We were created for more than just looking forward to a next activity; we need to have a purpose and be involved in changing the world.
8. Focus on the purpose God created us for, not ourselves.
9. There are people out there who don’t know Jesus and are dying; we can show them Jesus, Who can give them life.
10. When people are around us, they watch us, and they should see that God is good.
11. Our homes should be filled with God’s grace.
12. We should reflect God’s glory; it should shine through us so that the world knows He lives.


Aim
We need to have a purpose in life, and that purpose should be to draw people to God. Live in such a way that we reflect God, so that others will be drawn to Him and His kingdom will be expanded.


Application Questions
1. What is something you’ve done to help spread God’s Word to the world?
2. When people leave your presence, what taste do they have in their mouth? Do they taste God?
3. Do you have God’s perspective or yours? Do you see people as problems or opportunities?