Being Focussed Series

Message

Matthew 5:10-16

Being Focussed

When you become a Christian it doesn’t take too long for you to hear about the Beatitudes.

We find them in Matthew 5 … open your Bible to that place … Matthew 5.

(Read Matthew 5:3-10)

Jesus uses these Beatitudes to introduce what it means to have a kingdom focus.

We see the pattern … blessed are those … for theirs.

That pattern could perhaps cause our minds to think, “What Jesus is saying here is for ‘those’ people.”

So just to be sure that we understand what is happening here Jesus changes the language and makes it much more personal.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

That just raised the stakes – didn’t it – for all of us.

Because the language here is not “you” singular … as in ‘you’ and ‘you’ and ‘you’ … it is “you” plural.

Us, not as individuals, but in fellowship.

In fellowship we are being shown how to be focussed as disciples.

Let’s keep reading … I’m reading from verse 11 Matthew 5:11-16 (read)

That is a really distinct life call. Being distinctive focussed disciples.

It is a call that recognises our identity in Christ will make us stand out

In these verses Jesus teaches us two ways that we can stand out

Firstly distinctive focus disciples are salt.

Remember that Jesus is speaking into a first century context.

In that context salt was very important. As an example of just how important salt is let me show you a section from a Hebrew document written in the 2nd century BC called Sirach. In that document we read.

26 The basic necessities of human life are water and fire and iron and salt and wheat flour and milk and honey, the blood of the grape and oil, and clothing.

Sirach 39:26

You are the salt … you are a spiritually basic necessity for the culture in which you live.

Salt had a preserving effect – it stopped meat from going off as quickly.

Salt was used as a flavouring – to give food extra taste.

Salt was a readily available spice in Israel – it was in abundant supply at the Dead Sea – the saltiest piece of water on earth.

When Jesus says, “you are to be salt” people easily understood the meaning.

As kingdom people we are to be a beneficial influence and taste in society.

But there is more to it than that. We look to the Old Testament.

13 Season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not leave the salt of the covenant of your God out of your grain offerings; add salt to all your offerings.

Leviticus 2:13

The purpose of the grain offering was to thank the Lord for His mercies and for supplying their needs. The process symbolized the need to dedicate every aspect of their daily lives to the Creator. The ingredients could vary, but salt was always added.

You are the salt of the earth. In thankfulness to God as you go about your daily life this is your calling. You keep making this offering on a daily basis. Living in response to the gracious covenantal love of the Father which is sealed by the Holy Spirit within you.

To preserve.

To flavour.

To be the essential ingredient.

It is who we are to be in fellowship – because this is an effective way to live as disciples.

Later when writing the book of Colossians Paul will make the same point.

5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:5-6

Be focussed on leaving a good taste behind you for to all the outsiders. That is the call here.

The reason we do so is that we live in a world where many people who are just so stubborn.

How many times have you been in this situation …

If you are a parent you have definitely been in this situation.

There is all this food which has been lovingly set out on a table. And then there is that person.

A younger person. An older person.

“I don’t like it.”

“Have you tasted it before?”

“No I have never tasted it before but I don’t like it”.

“So you have never tasted it before but you know you don’t like it”

“No I don’t like it.”

“But why won’t you try?”

That happens at the table. But how many people are like that with God?