And we’re thinking tonight we’re going back to our core convictions. We started this, I think it was at the beginning of September last year. Six core convictions that we hold as a church. And you’ll find them on the board at the back of church, under the bell tower. If you’ve forgotten what they are, we’re picking them up tonight. Next week, we’re hoping there’ll be some core convictions merch to share with you. So you can stick it on your fridge, you can. You’re not going to wear it or drink out of it. It’s probably just something to stick on your fridge. But we have something to help us remember. These six core convictions are because we’ve said that as a church in response to God’s love for us in Christ. We want to be Christ centred, Bible rooted, spirit empowered. And tonight, God glorifying. We want to glorify God. So our verse tonight is from Matthew 5:16, where Jesus says, in the same way, let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven. Glorify your father, God glorifying. Now, 30 years or so ago, a group of Christians from this village came back from Spring Harvest, a Christian conference, and they came back with a call in their hearts to share the love of Christ in practical ways with the elderly members of this village and this local area. Some were from this church, some were from the URC Church and someone from the Evangelical Free Church. And the story of how they set up Linfield Christian Care Home. We call it Compton House. Usually, I don’t know if you know that story, but it’s a remarkable story and there was a little book written and if you haven’t read it, you should read it. It’s a really amazing story of faithful prayer, of trusting the Lord when it really looks if things were going to fall apart on more than one occasion and a lot of money was going to be lost. They trusted the Lord, they held on and of remarkable sacrificial giving, amazing giving. And the result of that has been a home for the last 30 or so years to hundreds of senior members of this village in this local area. Run on Christian principles, but open to everybody. It’s a wonderful place. I don’t know if you’ve been into Compton House or you’ve been recently, but, you know, the gospel always produces good works. The gospel always produces good works. The oldest hospital in the country is Bart’s Hospital in London. It was founded in 1123 and it was founded Because a man had Christian faith and vision and decided that the gospel called him to care for the sick and weak. And it’s still going today, more than 900 years later. Writers like Tom Holland have started to sort of publicise what Christians honestly have been saying, always that the values of our culture that hold us together and even the things, the institutions in our country and our culture that we value, we have them because they’ve grown out of the soil of the gospel. We have them because they’ve come from the Christian faith of generations before us. And I’m sure most people here, maybe not everybody, has heard the name William Wilberforce. William Wilberforce, member of the Clapham sect, a group of evangelical influential figures in society in the 18th century. He was a member of parliament and for 20 years he tried to pass a bill in Parliament. It took him 20 years campaigning for the abolition of the slave trade. 20 years of it failing again and again and again and again and again. 20 years and eventually, just a very brief time before he died, it was passed. Slave trade was abolished in the British Empire. Maybe you know the name Hannah More. Hannah More. She was a playwright, a poet, a writer and an evangelical Christian, a gospel Christian. And despite the opposition that she faced from a number of bishops. We’ll stop the recording as we just think about that for a moment. She founded a number of schools for girls in the 18th century, which was very unusual in those days, giving girls an education. She wrote Christian tracts to give out. Well, she. They were sold. They were sold in the 1790s. In their millions. In their millions. That’s an astonishing thing, isn’t it? When you think of the population, then it’s sold in its millions. Or we think of Lord Shaftesbury, the poor man’s earl. Do you know Lord Shaftesbury? Victorian. He campaigned for the better care of the mentally ill. He fought for better working conditions for children in the workplace, prohibiting them from working in mines and from climbing chimneys. Housing reform, animal welfare, suppression of the opium trade. Schools for the poor, he called them ragged schools. And he said, if the ragged school system were to fail, I should not die in the course of nature. I should die of a broken heart. Isn’t that remarkable? Because that’s his gospel in his heart coming out. It’s the gospel that compelled him to do this. He said, I do not think in the last 40 years I have lived one conscious hour that was not influenced by the thought of the Lord’s return. He knew that God loves us as whole people and the real gospel always produces good works that love whole people. Christian faith isn’t just a Sunday thing. We’re meant to be involved in society, in our workplaces, at school, at college, making a difference. I’m really thrilled that as a church family, we support a number of practical Christian projects, like the Haven Pregnancy Counselling Centre in Burgess Hill, set up by Lynn Hoyles, who’s here tonight. Family support work in the diocese, Haywards Heath Food Bank, Transforming Lives For Good mentoring scheme in local schools. But today, we’re just thinking about the tiger. We’re thinking about glorifying God in our local area. And so we’re launching the Vision for the Tiger when we’re also thinking about God glorifying. For the last two years, we’ve been thinking, how can we use this building? And little groups have been meeting to consider the vision, to be working on the building, to be working on communication. And the reason is in verse 16 of our reading, verse 16. Let your light shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. So we’ve only got a few minutes, but we’re going to think about that. And in our passage tonight from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells his followers down the ages two truths about us, one negative and one positive. He says that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The salt of the earth and the light of the world. So we’re going to think about each one. Briefly, what does Jesus mean when he says we are the salt of the earth? It’s a phrase, actually, that’s coming to our own everyday language, isn’t it? Somebody, oh, they’re the salt of the earth. What we mean by that is probably they’re a really nice person, don’t do any harm, always rely on them, they’re positive and so on. They’re the salt of the earth. Isn’t that what Jesus means? Christians are the salt of the earth? Well, Friday night, just by chance, I turned on the radio and there was a programme. I really need to get out. On Friday nights, there was a programme all about salt. So I listened to it and honestly, I learned more about the chemistry and history of salt in that hour. I listened to it for almost an hour than I have in the rest of my life. And I thought, I’m going to share it with All Saints on Sunday, otherwise it’s a wasted hour, isn’t it? So salt is used for lots of things in the manufacture of glass, paper, plastics, leather, pottery, soap, detergent, rubber, silicon chips. Salt kills Bacteria. Salt is used in fermentation. 90% of our drinking water in the UK is purified by a process dependent on salt. We use salt in fertilisers to grow plants. In the bathroom, salt. Salt is used to relax aching muscles and it reduces unpleasant odours. Pass on over that in the kitchen. Salt brings out other flavours in food. You probably knew that. But did you know that salt actually enhances sweetness? Think of your salted caramel ice cream. Salt preserves certain food from decay. Salt was probably still is extremely valuable and Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. Did you know that? Lawrence, you’re an educated man, hence the origin of the word salary. Aren’t you glad you came tonight? Salt was used in the embalming process by ancient Egyptians. In mediaeval times, they thought salt warded off evil spirits, so they would put a pinch of salt in the mouth of a baby before it was baptised. And that’s probably why people throw salt over their shoulders sometimes. Salt was used to clean and disinfect wounds. And the last couple of evenings here in Linfield, the lorries have scattered salt on our roads, haven’t they? Because the temperatures are dropping. These are just some of the fascinating uses of salt. I feel like I’m selling it to you. Which of these meanings, though, did Jesus have in mind when he said that we are salt, we’re the salt of the earth. We might think we know what it is because we might enjoy salt on our fish and chips and think, oh, that makes it a bit tastier. So Jesus is obviously saying that his followers are able to make life generally a bit more palatable, bit more tasty. Or we might think that since salt was used to cure meat, to preserve meat, stop it rotting, Jesus is saying that Christians can somehow preserve the world from his judgement or maybe from decay. Well, maybe, but have you got your Bible open? Still have a look down. Let’s not forget in our Bible passage, Jesus is heading towards a statement in verses 17 to 20 about his relationship with the Old Testament. So how does he get there? How do these words about salt and light take us to that statement about the Old Testament? See, Jesus has the Old Testament in mind as he’s thinking about salt and light. And what does the Old Testament say? Well, salt has a very specific meaning in the Bible judgement. Do you remember Genesis, chapter 19, when God warned Lot and his family to escape from Sodom? Do you remember that his judgement was coming? He warns them to get out. And Lot’s wife looks back. The idea is sort of longingly she wished she were back there. She’s turned into a pillar of salt. Yeah, she’s turned into a pillar of Salt. Judgement. Deuteronomy 29:22. The Lord speaking to the Israelites now on the border of the promised land. They’re about to go into Canaan, take their inheritance. And the Lord speaks about the judgement. He’s going to bring on that land. He says, the whole land will be a burning waste of salt. Nothing planted, nothing growing. Jeremiah 48, 9. The prophet says, put salt on Moab. Moab’s a place. Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste. And you probably know, when the Israelites fought their enemies and defeated them, often what they did was they scattered salt on the fields so that nothing there could grow. Salt thrown onto the earth. Now Jesus says, we are the salt of the earth. What does he mean? What does he mean by that? Well, he doesn’t mean that we should be judgmental. He doesn’t mean we should go around wagging our fingers condemning those around us. He says, exactly. Actually, two chapters later, in Matthew, chapter seven, do not judge. Do not judge. Don’t be judgmental. Rather, I think the idea is that simply in following Jesus, we are witnesses that this present world will not last forever. It is coming to an end. Time has been called on it, and there is another kingdom coming. In that way, we are proclaiming judgement simply by following Jesus, simply by following the kingdom that’s to come. We’re saying, this ain’t it. The Lord is coming back and there’s going to be a reckoning. We are living representatives of what is to come. We are salt in this present world, in this earth. And there is something a bit caustic about salt, isn’t there? When you put it in your mouth, he’s a bit sharp. Jesus says that’s what we are, simply what we are by following him. But we’re not just the salt of the earth. He also says positively, you are the light of the world. And if salt speaks of judgement, light speaks of life and truth. I don’t know if I’ve told you before or shared with you. When we lived in Plymouth, when we lived down in Devon, there was a route that I used to run quite regularly on Dartmoor. And it took me along an old disused railway track up to a village, sort of run uphill up onto Clearbrook, the village of Clearbrook. And part of this running track took you through this disused railway tunnel, which had lights on it during the day. But at dusk they turned the lights off. And I remember running through it at dusk, not realising this. And I got midway through the tunnel and they turned the lights off. And that railway tunnel isn’t just a straight tunnel, it curves. So within seconds it was pitch black. I could not see a thing. I don’t know why I kept running. I should have started walking, but I ran. And I was running with my arms in front of me, trying not to bump into anything. But then that moment comes and you see a pinprick in the distance light. And you run towards it and it’s so welcome. And Jesus says, you are the light of the world. And it’s Old Testament that he has in mind. So think of the first time we meet light, day one, day one of creation. Genesis, chapter one. The whole day is given to light triumphing over darkness. It’s a presentation of the Gospel in the first two or three verses of the whole Bible. To see light is to see truth. Psalm 119, 130 says that the world is in darkness, but it has seen a great light. Isaiah, chapter 9, verse 2. And then in the New Testament, Jesus says, in John 8:12, I am the light the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Jesus says, I am the light of the world. But not just that. In Matthew 5, he says, and you are the light of the world. You shine with my light. You are the light of the world. We are his ambassadors. We don’t just point to the end of this present world as salt. We hold out the good news of the kingdom coming. Let your light so shine before men. Jesus says that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Now, how do we do that? How do we shine? Well, maybe you’ve heard the words that were attributed to that mediaeval monk, Francis of Assisi. Preach the gospel. Use words if necessary. Have you heard that? Preach the gospel. Use words if necessary. What do you make of that? Dear, oh, dear. I hope he didn’t really say it. The implication is that Christian life speaks for itself, that the gospel is best communicated without words, and words are only necessary as a last resort. Is that really what we think? Good works and gospel words. Good works and gospel words. It’s not an either or in the Bible. It’s a both and. It’s a both and Christian words. Imagine Christian words not backed up by a Christian life. That puts people off, doesn’t it? People who are all Christian words but aren’t living it out. Well, we’re just called hypocrites. And a Christian life, a stunning Christian life might make some people ask, why does she live like that? What’s driving him? But gospel actions need to be explained by gospel words. They’ve got to go together. So let’s think about all Saints. Let’s think about the Tiger project, the tiger building next door. Imagine if it were just gospel words. Sermons, Bible studies, conversations, inquirers groups, but no works, no deeds, nothing to see. I mean, it’s actually quite hard to imagine, isn’t it? We might talk a lot about God’s love and God’s compassion, or we might say, jesus has made all the difference to my life, but if nobody ever saw, would be meaningless. The gospel always produces good works. On the other hand, imagine loads of things happening in the tiger. Imagine loads of good projects that are happening, serving our local area, caring for the very young, caring for the elderly, reaching out in practical forms of love. But no gospel explanation at all, no message, no word about Jesus. Someone sees all these wonderful things that are happening in the tiger. What do they say? What do they think? They think they’re very nice people at All Saints, aren’t they? They’re very kind. They’ve got a social conscience. I like them. We don’t want that. We don’t want people to think we’re nice and kind. We want people to see our good deeds, come to know God themselves and glorify our Father in heaven. That’s what he says. Gospel words, hand in hand with good works, help people not only here about Jesus, but see him in action. By God’s grace, come to know him and follow him themselves. True Christian love will care for people as people, whole people. Imagine a base for outreach in our village, caring for people physically and spiritually. I reckon not many people have been argued into the kingdom of God though we need the explanation. But I reckon an awful lot of people have been loved into the kingdom. Maybe you’re one of them. Well, as I said earlier on, there’s lots of things that are already happening in the tiger. Tiger Cubs preschool. The tiger houses our church office. Tomorrow morning though, a friendship group will meet the tiger and that grew out of English language classes two or three years ago for Ukrainian friends when they arrived in this area. Every week there’s a baby weighing clinic and some people in this church family are hosts at it, just getting along, encouraging the mums. Where did that come from? Well, it came out of the fact that it wasn’t possible to hold that clinic anywhere else. So they came to us and said, could we do it in the Tiger. Of course you can. It’s a practical way of serving and it’s wonderful that we can do it. Partially run with Christians just showing and speaking about the Lord Jesus. There’s Twins Club, children and youth groups on Sunday and midweek, Connect groups, special needs teaching support, a children’s art group in the stable, local musicians practising there, a dining club. I mean, the list goes on and on. And I know that these kind of things have happened in the taiga for years, for a very long time, but needs in an area change. So what are the needs now? How can we meet those needs in the name of Christ as a church family? Well, did you know that proportionally more over 65s live in Linfield than anywhere else in mid Sussex? That’s why Tiger at 10, a fortnightly seniors group that meets for friendship and encouragement, why that is so important. But, you know, at Tiger at 10, which is in this room, there is always thought for the day, gentle Bible thought, and it’s always appreciated untold. And Jane, our senior pastor, is picking up the baton from others and exploring how we can provide support in the Tiger for those living with dementia and those supporting those living with dementia and loneliness. It doesn’t just afflict the elderly and mental health issues and addictions. I can’t remember who it was who said to me when we arrived in Linfield three or four years ago, it all happens behind the curtains on the high street. I can tell you there’s all kinds of problems. Well, I expect there are, but it’s hidden. It’s hidden under a veneer of quite a lot of affluence. But there are problems and we want to meet them in the name of Christ. When church members bought that Tiger Building in 1916, I am sure they could never have imagined all the uses the building would have been put to. And it’s the same now. As we think about the future, the next hundred years, there are probably ministries and outreach projects that we can’t imagine now that will meet needs that haven’t even arisen for people you haven’t yet been born. That’s quite a thought, isn’t it? But we can invest in that and be part of that today simply by following Jesus. We testify to the fact that this present world, divided, broken, at war, coming to an end because we belong to another kingdom, the kingdom that’s coming when Jesus comes back. Kingdom is going to fill this earth and we’re trying to start living that kingdom life now, caring holistically for People. So we’re light in that way. We’re shining truth and life in the name of Jesus, practically. And our challenge is that simply by living and speaking for Jesus, others will see and hear about him and come to know him as their Father and glorify him. That’s our core conviction. Glorify God themselves. Salt isn’t meant to remain in the salt cellar on the table, is it? Light isn’t meant to be hidden under a bowl. Christians aren’t meant to keep the Christian faith to themselves. We are a city on a hill, Jesus says. And actually he says it’s not hard to be salt. You don’t have to do a lot, he says. That’s what we are. His followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The simplest words and actions that flow out of gospel faith have power to testify to Jesus. So as I end, I just want to repeat, please take one of these. If you haven’t got one already, please take one of these little booklets under one roof Tiger Project and pray. When you pray, pray for your part, pray for the vision, pray bold prayers for the future of what might happen in and from that building as we invest in ministry and outreach that most of us will probably never see. And come and pray on Wednesday at our church prayer meeting at 8 o’clock. And over the next few weeks, there’ll be some more video updates, there’ll be more information and those opportunities to give. As I said earlier, you know what it’s like when you’re on an aeroplane and you’re flying at night and you lift up the little plastic thing over the window, don’t you look out, it’s pitch black, you can’t see anything. You look down, you can’t see anything. And then you begin to see little pinpricks of light and they get more and more and you see a city underneath you. You know you’re nearly there, you’re arriving, and it’s a very welcome thing. And what about when a whole world is in darkness like our world? What a welcome sight it is when an individual or a whole church is living for Christ. You run to that. You run to such a thing as that. If it’s lived clearly, you run to that light. Jesus said in the same way, let your light so shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. That’s our prayer. Shall I lead us in a prayer now and then maybe the band will come up and we’ll sing together. Lord Jesus, Christ, we have been so aware even in the last few days of how broken and divided our world is, how dark it is, how dark our hearts are. But, Lord Jesus Christ, you are the light of the world. Your glorious kingdom will fill this earth one day. And your kingdom is a kingdom of love and justice and peace, righteousness of all that we long for, of all that is good, of all that our hearts deep down, desire most of all. Lord Jesus, you are the hope. You are the light of this world. And you call us to be light in this world, too. So, Lord, at the start of this tiger project, we bring it to you. We pray that you would be glorified not only in this project over these next months, but, Lord, in the future, if it’s still a hundred years before you come again. We pray that the next hundred years the gospel would shine brightly from this place and that scores, maybe hundreds of people would have cause to praise you for the works that they saw that pointed them to you. Father, we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.