Living In The Kingdom Part 5 Series

Living In The Kingdom 5

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16; Colossians 4:6; Second Corinthians 4:6

This is part five of my series “Living in the Kingdom.” In the first four parts of this series, I covered what is known as the Beatitudes, Matthew 5:3-12. In those verses Jesus demonstrated how those who are a part of Him should live in this world as a part of His kingdom. He discussed what our attitudes should be when we are persecuted for righteousness and He talked about what will follow for those who are truly walking with Him and responding to the world according to His direction. The Beatitudes, as a whole, are a set of contradictions to the “mind of the flesh.” They tear away the false illusions the multitude had pertaining to the nature of the kingdom. Can you imagine how some hearing this message would have been disgusted and possibly turned their backs on Christ at that moment? Think about how people today would respond to these attitudinal shifts once you enter His kingdom. For those hearing His words, many would have made the decision then if they were in or out. The same applies to each of us. This morning we will be looking at Matthew 5:13-16. In these verses Jesus continues with the reasons why we are to do what He said in verses three through twelve.

Matthew 5:13-16 says, “You are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost its savor, how shall it be salted? It is thereafter good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a lamp, and put it under a bushel, but on a lamp stand; and it gives light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Let’s pause for a minute and talk about salt. Salt is a seasoning and preserving chemical, but if exposed to the sun, rain, and air, it loses its flavor and is worthless. But here is the point that I really want you to focus on. You do not salt a living thing! You put salt on something that is already dead so that it does not rot. The salt preserves the thing that is dead. Do you see where I am going with this statement? Actually where Jesus went with this statement! Jesus indicates here that human society, without His influence, is a dead carcass that is rotting away and disintegrating. We, those who have accepted Him and are living according to His will, are to be rubbed into this rotting carcass to stop its decomposition and corruption. That being said, in order for salt to do anything (preserve or flavor) it must be brought into close contact with the substance upon which it is to work. Therefore we must be brought into contact with evil and wickedness – through family and friends, at work, in our communities, etc. We cannot divorce ourselves from the world that we are tasked with influencing for Christ. We cannot withdraw ourselves from contact with the evil. The only way by which the salt can purify is by being rubbed into the corrupted thing. We are also to provide flavor to its dullness and to save it from its own wickedness. We are the salt of the earth! When Paul wrote “Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man.” (Colossians 4:6) In other words, our speech should be seasoned with answers/responses that will oppose sin and preserve from corruption. Let me say it this way, because of our relationship with Christ, we have power within the world!

The chief one is that of our power, and therefore our obligation, to stop the corruption round us, by our own purity. The presence of a good man hinders the devil from having elbow-room to do his work. Do we exercise a suppressive influence (if we do not do anything better), so that evil is ashamed to show itself in our presence? Listen to what I am saying. There are people who know that I am a Pastor and they will not cuss or drink when I am around. The fact that I am a Pastor, for them, suppresses their desire to do things that they know might be wrong in front of someone who they believe is trying to live right. Our lifestyles should be influencing those around us if those around us are living in darkness. But it goes deeper than this. Christians should not only suppress sin around them, but we should also bring forth the best in the people with whom we come in contact with. That is what it means by adding flavor versus just preserving. It is a fact that every man who does right helps to make public opinion in favor of doing right, and likewise every man who lowers the standard of morality in his own life helps to lower it in the community of which he is a part. This is a fact that we see living out in our communities now. So the men and women who have Christ in their hearts and Christ's conduct and character repeated in theirs are to be the preserving and purifying influence in the midst of this corrupt world.