A City on a Hill, Not a Cruise Ship

In one paragraph

Brad Yates preached from Matthew 5:13-16, the passage about salt and light that follows the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. He worked through what Jesus is calling his followers to be and do, and why, grounding everything in a single central claim: God's glory is the point of everything. The message was personal, honest about struggle, and aimed squarely at how the church in Jackson...

Read together

1. 1 Samuel 2:2 opening call to worship, 'there is no one holy like our Lord'
2. John 3:16 quoted before congregational singing, God gave his only Son so that whoever believes shall not perish
3. Psalm 34 sung during the offertory, 'glorify the Lord with me'
4. Matthew 5:13-16 main text, read aloud by Scott Coy, salt of the earth and light of the world
5. 1 Peter 2:13 Peter writing to submit to authorities, noted as referring to Nero
6. John 8 Jesus saying 'I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in darkness'
7. Ephesians 3 rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, God's glory displayed through the church
8. 1 Corinthians 10 Paul saying whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God
9. Romans 8 God works for the good of those who love him, called according to his purpose
10. Romans 8:1 there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
11. Philippians 1 to live is Christ, to die is gain
12. Acts 2 early church sharing everything they had with one another joyfully

Talk about it

1. Brad talked about the persecution of early Christians under Nero and said that the modern era of religious freedom and prosperity is not normal in the scope of church history. How does knowing that change the way you think about your own faith and what you are willing to risk for it?
2. Brad described being salt relationally as being the first to own your part in a conflict and the first to overlook an offense, even allowing yourself to be misunderstood or taken advantage of for the sake of the gospel. Where in your relationships right now is that the hardest thing to do, and what is making it hard?
3. Brad said that God's chief end is His own glory, and that our salvation is in service of that chief end rather than the other way around. He used the phrase 'you are not the point' and said that realizing this is actually freeing. Does that idea feel freeing to you, or does it feel like something else? Why?
4. Brad contrasted the cruise ship model of church, where people ask what the church offers them, with the battleship model, where the question is what your role is in the mission. Which model more honestly describes how you have approached this church, and what would it look like in practice to shift toward the battleship model?
5. Brad said the church has to be a place where it is okay not to be okay, and he called out the Sunday habit of saying 'fine' when we are not fine. What would it take for you personally to be more honest with someone in this church about where you are actually struggling?