SERMON
Where We Go From Here: Being Imitators – May 10, 2026
Pastor Paul Georgulis
Have you ever tried to follow someone else’s example? Maybe it was someone at work. Someone successful. Someone you admired. So you start copying what they do. You start saying the things they say. You adopt their habits. You follow their routines.
But after a while, something begins to feel off. Because you can imitate what someone does without actually becoming who they are. And that kind of imitation doesn’t last. It feels forced. It becomes exhausting. And eventually, it starts to break down.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about discipleship—about becoming the kind of people God calls us to be. We talked about spiritual growth, the Body of Christ, outreach, and evangelism.
It would be really easy to walk away from this series thinking, “Okay…so these are the four things I need to go do.”
But what if that’s not actually the point? What if we’ve been hearing this wrong the whole time?
What if God hasn’t just been giving us things to do, but what if He has been forming us into someone new?
When that happens—when something changes on the inside—you don’t have to force the outside anymore. And that’s where Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 meet us today. But before we read them, it’s important to understand where they come from. These words come from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. And right before our passage today, Jesus describes what a life with him actually looks like—a life shaped from the inside out.
And then—right after describing that kind of life—He looks at His disciples and says:
“13 “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 underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus starts with identity. “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.”
Not you should be. Not you need to become. You are.
That’s a powerful statement because Jesus isn’t first giving a command here. He’s giving a declaration. He’s naming what is already true about His followers.
Salt doesn’t try to be salty. It just is. Light doesn’t try to shine. It just does.
When Jesus used these images—salt and light—He wasn’t just using random examples. These were powerful images in the first century.
Salt was incredibly valuable because it preserved things. It kept decay from spreading. It penetrated whatever it touched. But if salt lost that quality, it didn’t just become weaker—it became useless.
And light? Light exists for one purpose: To shine through the darkness. Light makes things visible. Light guides. Light illuminates. But if you cover it up—if you hide it—it has no purpose.
We do that more than we think. Sometimes we hide the light by staying quiet when we should speak. Sometimes by going along with the crowd. Sometimes by letting things into our lives—habits, attitudes, compromises—that begin to dim the light. And over time, what was meant to shine, gets covered.
As followers of Jesus, we’re not called to blend in with the world. But we’re also not called to withdraw from it. If we blend in, we lose our distinctiveness. But if we pull away, we lose our influence.
Jesus calls us to something different: To be present…but different.
So when Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.”—He wasn’t just giving a compliment. He was giving a calling to live differently. He was saying: “As my followers, you are meant to push back decay, and shine in the darkness.
This is where it really hits home for us. Because so often, when we think about following Jesus, we jump straight to behavior:
So what does that actually look like in our lives?
Think about the moon. On a clear night, the moon can light up the entire sky. You can walk outside and see everything around you. But here’s the reality: The moon has no light of its own.
Every bit of light you see radiating from the moon is a reflection of the sun. And in the same way, we are not the source of light in verse 14—Jesus is.
We don’t generate it. We don’t produce it. All we do is reflect it by staying close enough to Him and aligned enough with Him that His light becomes visible through us. That’s what it means to imitate Jesus. And that changes everything, because now the question is no longer: “How do I shine brighter?” The question becomes: “How close am I staying to Jesus?”
The closer you are to Him, the clearer the reflection becomes.
This is where everything we’ve talked about in this series comes together. Because over these past four weeks, God has not just been informing us—not just giving us information—but forming us and shaping who we are.
Week 1 – Spiritual Growth
In week 1, we talked about spiritual growth and abiding in—staying connected to—Jesus. Because you can’t reflect light if you’re disconnected from the source. And maybe for some of us, that’s where this starts today. Not with doing more…but with reconnecting to the source—reconnecting to Jesus.
Week 2 – Body of Christ
In week 2, we talked about the Body of Christ and how we were not created to do life alone. Because light shines brighter together. Think about it, if you have one flashlight, you have light—you can see. But if you have multiple flashlights aimed in the same direction, all of the light beams combine, and you have infinitely more light to help you see better. In the same way, when we live in real community, we reflect Jesus more clearly together than we ever could alone.
Week 3 - Outreach
In week 3, we talked about outreach—noticing someone in need, stopping what we are doing, and stepping in to help that person. When the light of Jesus is in us, we begin to see people differently. We don’t just see interruptions, we see opportunities to love God and love people.
Week 4 - Evangelism
And in week 4, we talked about evangelism—sharing the good news of Jesus, not as pressure, but as overflow. When your life reflects Jesus, people begin to see Him through you.
These aren’t four separate things. They’re one life—a life that reflects Jesus.
And here’s something we can’t miss. Jesus didn’t just talk about salt and light. He embodied it.
He was the true salt of the earth because He stepped into a broken world and pushed back decay. He brought healing. He brought restoration. He preserved what was being lost.
And He was the light of the world because He stepped into darkness and made God visible. He showed people what God is like. He revealed truth. He guided people back to the Father.
Ultimately, He was lifted up for all to see. Not hidden. Not covered. But visible.
Drawing people in—not just to himself—but to the Father.
And now, Jesus looks at His followers—at us—and says: “Live like that.”
That’s why the Apostle Paul could say: “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 11:1
More simply put, Paul was saying, “I’m following Jesus, and you can follow me in that direction.”
You see, we all learn by watching someone. We learn how to live, how to respond, how to handle life all by watching other people. Whether we realize it or not, people are watching our lives.
You see this most clearly if you have kids. They don’t just listen to what we as parents say, they watch what we do.
There’s a song by Rodney Atkins called “Watching You.” In it, a dad hears his 4-year old son repeat a four-letter word he shouldn’t have even known, and when he asks his son where he learned to talk like that, his son said, “I’ve been watchin’ you, dad, ain’t that cool? I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.” (pause) And then later in the song, his son is praying before bed…and the dad realizes—he learned that the same way too—by watching him.
And the question for each of us to ask ourselves is: “If someone follows me, where will they end up?” Because whether we realize it or not, someone already is. Would they get closer to Jesus, or just closer to me?
Paul was saying: “Watch my life, and you’ll see Jesus.” He wasn’t saying, “Copy my behaviors.” He was saying, “Follow my direction.” He was saying, “My life is moving toward Jesus, so if you follow me, you’ll end up there too.”
And that’s really what this whole series has been about. Not just learning more about Jesus but becoming the kind of people whose lives actually point others to Him. And when that begins to happen, you don’t have to force it. You don’t have to compartmentalize it. It starts to show up everywhere.
When someone is truly following Jesus, you don’t have to divide it up into categories. It all begins to come together.
What does it look like to live this out—to live as salt and light? I’m not going to give you any new information or some brand-new approach this morning, because we’ve actually been building to this for the last four weeks.
Stay Close to Jesus (Spiritual Growth)
To live as salt and light, we need to stay close to Jesus, making space for Him daily. Not out of obligation, but because He is the source of life.
Don’t Do This Alone (Body of Christ)
We were never meant to do this alone. Instead, we were meant to lean into community, be known, and to show up consistently. Because we reflect Jesus better together.
Notice and Step In (Outreach)
And then, we slow down enough to pay attention and see the needs of the people around us. We don’t just rush past what God puts in front of us, but we step in and help.
Let Your Life Point to Jesus (Evangelism)
In doing so, we let our lives point to Jesus. We don’t have to force or script it. We simply live in such a way that people see Jesus in us.
After everything we’ve talked about over these last few weeks—here’s what it comes down to:
Live in such a way that you can say, “Follow me…as I follow Jesus.” Because the world doesn’t just need more information about Jesus. It needs to see Him. And it will see Him, or not see Him, through us—in the way we speak, in the way we respond, in the way we love people, and in the way we live our lives.
That’s how the light shines. That’s how the salt works. That’s how Jesus is seen.
As you live that out, you’ll be growing. You’ll be connected. You’ll be reaching out. And you’ll be pointing others to Jesus.
What God has been forming in you, He now wants to reveal through you.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
So go and reflect Jesus—in everything you do, in everything you say, and in the way you live your life.
But after a while, something begins to feel off. Because you can imitate what someone does without actually becoming who they are. And that kind of imitation doesn’t last. It feels forced. It becomes exhausting. And eventually, it starts to break down.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been talking about discipleship—about becoming the kind of people God calls us to be. We talked about spiritual growth, the Body of Christ, outreach, and evangelism.
It would be really easy to walk away from this series thinking, “Okay…so these are the four things I need to go do.”
But what if that’s not actually the point? What if we’ve been hearing this wrong the whole time?
What if God hasn’t just been giving us things to do, but what if He has been forming us into someone new?
When that happens—when something changes on the inside—you don’t have to force the outside anymore. And that’s where Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 meet us today. But before we read them, it’s important to understand where they come from. These words come from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. And right before our passage today, Jesus describes what a life with him actually looks like—a life shaped from the inside out.
And then—right after describing that kind of life—He looks at His disciples and says:
“13 “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 underfoot. 14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:13-16
Jesus starts with identity. “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.”
Not you should be. Not you need to become. You are.
That’s a powerful statement because Jesus isn’t first giving a command here. He’s giving a declaration. He’s naming what is already true about His followers.
Salt doesn’t try to be salty. It just is. Light doesn’t try to shine. It just does.
When Jesus used these images—salt and light—He wasn’t just using random examples. These were powerful images in the first century.
Salt was incredibly valuable because it preserved things. It kept decay from spreading. It penetrated whatever it touched. But if salt lost that quality, it didn’t just become weaker—it became useless.
And light? Light exists for one purpose: To shine through the darkness. Light makes things visible. Light guides. Light illuminates. But if you cover it up—if you hide it—it has no purpose.
We do that more than we think. Sometimes we hide the light by staying quiet when we should speak. Sometimes by going along with the crowd. Sometimes by letting things into our lives—habits, attitudes, compromises—that begin to dim the light. And over time, what was meant to shine, gets covered.
As followers of Jesus, we’re not called to blend in with the world. But we’re also not called to withdraw from it. If we blend in, we lose our distinctiveness. But if we pull away, we lose our influence.
Jesus calls us to something different: To be present…but different.
So when Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world.”—He wasn’t just giving a compliment. He was giving a calling to live differently. He was saying: “As my followers, you are meant to push back decay, and shine in the darkness.
This is where it really hits home for us. Because so often, when we think about following Jesus, we jump straight to behavior:
- “What do I need to do?”
- “How do I live better?”
- “What needs to change in my life?”
So what does that actually look like in our lives?
Think about the moon. On a clear night, the moon can light up the entire sky. You can walk outside and see everything around you. But here’s the reality: The moon has no light of its own.
Every bit of light you see radiating from the moon is a reflection of the sun. And in the same way, we are not the source of light in verse 14—Jesus is.
We don’t generate it. We don’t produce it. All we do is reflect it by staying close enough to Him and aligned enough with Him that His light becomes visible through us. That’s what it means to imitate Jesus. And that changes everything, because now the question is no longer: “How do I shine brighter?” The question becomes: “How close am I staying to Jesus?”
The closer you are to Him, the clearer the reflection becomes.
This is where everything we’ve talked about in this series comes together. Because over these past four weeks, God has not just been informing us—not just giving us information—but forming us and shaping who we are.
Week 1 – Spiritual Growth
In week 1, we talked about spiritual growth and abiding in—staying connected to—Jesus. Because you can’t reflect light if you’re disconnected from the source. And maybe for some of us, that’s where this starts today. Not with doing more…but with reconnecting to the source—reconnecting to Jesus.
Week 2 – Body of Christ
In week 2, we talked about the Body of Christ and how we were not created to do life alone. Because light shines brighter together. Think about it, if you have one flashlight, you have light—you can see. But if you have multiple flashlights aimed in the same direction, all of the light beams combine, and you have infinitely more light to help you see better. In the same way, when we live in real community, we reflect Jesus more clearly together than we ever could alone.
Week 3 - Outreach
In week 3, we talked about outreach—noticing someone in need, stopping what we are doing, and stepping in to help that person. When the light of Jesus is in us, we begin to see people differently. We don’t just see interruptions, we see opportunities to love God and love people.
Week 4 - Evangelism
And in week 4, we talked about evangelism—sharing the good news of Jesus, not as pressure, but as overflow. When your life reflects Jesus, people begin to see Him through you.
These aren’t four separate things. They’re one life—a life that reflects Jesus.
And here’s something we can’t miss. Jesus didn’t just talk about salt and light. He embodied it.
He was the true salt of the earth because He stepped into a broken world and pushed back decay. He brought healing. He brought restoration. He preserved what was being lost.
And He was the light of the world because He stepped into darkness and made God visible. He showed people what God is like. He revealed truth. He guided people back to the Father.
Ultimately, He was lifted up for all to see. Not hidden. Not covered. But visible.
Drawing people in—not just to himself—but to the Father.
And now, Jesus looks at His followers—at us—and says: “Live like that.”
That’s why the Apostle Paul could say: “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 11:1
More simply put, Paul was saying, “I’m following Jesus, and you can follow me in that direction.”
You see, we all learn by watching someone. We learn how to live, how to respond, how to handle life all by watching other people. Whether we realize it or not, people are watching our lives.
You see this most clearly if you have kids. They don’t just listen to what we as parents say, they watch what we do.
There’s a song by Rodney Atkins called “Watching You.” In it, a dad hears his 4-year old son repeat a four-letter word he shouldn’t have even known, and when he asks his son where he learned to talk like that, his son said, “I’ve been watchin’ you, dad, ain’t that cool? I’m your buckaroo, I wanna be like you.” (pause) And then later in the song, his son is praying before bed…and the dad realizes—he learned that the same way too—by watching him.
And the question for each of us to ask ourselves is: “If someone follows me, where will they end up?” Because whether we realize it or not, someone already is. Would they get closer to Jesus, or just closer to me?
Paul was saying: “Watch my life, and you’ll see Jesus.” He wasn’t saying, “Copy my behaviors.” He was saying, “Follow my direction.” He was saying, “My life is moving toward Jesus, so if you follow me, you’ll end up there too.”
And that’s really what this whole series has been about. Not just learning more about Jesus but becoming the kind of people whose lives actually point others to Him. And when that begins to happen, you don’t have to force it. You don’t have to compartmentalize it. It starts to show up everywhere.
When someone is truly following Jesus, you don’t have to divide it up into categories. It all begins to come together.
What does it look like to live this out—to live as salt and light? I’m not going to give you any new information or some brand-new approach this morning, because we’ve actually been building to this for the last four weeks.
Stay Close to Jesus (Spiritual Growth)
To live as salt and light, we need to stay close to Jesus, making space for Him daily. Not out of obligation, but because He is the source of life.
Don’t Do This Alone (Body of Christ)
We were never meant to do this alone. Instead, we were meant to lean into community, be known, and to show up consistently. Because we reflect Jesus better together.
Notice and Step In (Outreach)
And then, we slow down enough to pay attention and see the needs of the people around us. We don’t just rush past what God puts in front of us, but we step in and help.
Let Your Life Point to Jesus (Evangelism)
In doing so, we let our lives point to Jesus. We don’t have to force or script it. We simply live in such a way that people see Jesus in us.
After everything we’ve talked about over these last few weeks—here’s what it comes down to:
Live in such a way that you can say, “Follow me…as I follow Jesus.” Because the world doesn’t just need more information about Jesus. It needs to see Him. And it will see Him, or not see Him, through us—in the way we speak, in the way we respond, in the way we love people, and in the way we live our lives.
That’s how the light shines. That’s how the salt works. That’s how Jesus is seen.
As you live that out, you’ll be growing. You’ll be connected. You’ll be reaching out. And you’ll be pointing others to Jesus.
What God has been forming in you, He now wants to reveal through you.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
So go and reflect Jesus—in everything you do, in everything you say, and in the way you live your life.