SALT AND LIGHT CHRISTIANS
Matthew 5:13-16
Intro: When my sister was in high school, boys were naturally drawn to her. She was a pretty girl, very funny and very outgoing. One boy that wanted to date her came to see her and talked about his love for her. He was kind of lanky, awkward, and a little goofy, but a really nice young man. That night he told her that she was like a bright flame and he was the moth that was drawn to her.
She made the mistake of telling us about this. We teased her so much that she told him she would not go out with him. He went on to become a doctor. Who knew??
** Our job as believers is to draw people to Jesus Christ.
How do we do this? Jesus gives us some insight by talking about 2 things– salt and light.
1. BEING SALT IN A THIRSTY WORLD.
Mt 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth”
A. The Value of Salt. As Jesus spoke this, the people conjured up various images about what it meant to “be salt”. They probably thought about its various qualities, but one thing was it’s VALUE. Salt is cheap today, but 2000 yrs ago very valuable.
* Body contains 4oz salt- without it our muscles + heart couldn’t work.
* Healing wounds- Napoleon men died on Moscow retreat-lack of salt.
* More wars fought over salt than gold in ancient times.
* Salt is called the “essence of life” and Jesus called us “salt of the earth.”
* Roman Soldiers were partly paid in salt.. A Bad soldier was "not worth his salt."
* I think people realized Jesus was calling them something necessary and valuable.
B. The Qualities of Salt.
(1) Salt Creates Thirst.
It has been said that you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink. True. But if you feed it some salt then it will get thirsty and drink.
* We can’t force someone to become a Christian. Like salt, though, our testimony and life can make them thirst for what’s missing in their life that they see in ours– Jesus Christ.
(2) Salt Enhances Flavor.
** PRANK- As kids we would prank our Mom and Dad by putting salt in their coffee when they weren't looking. The faces they made cracked us up. They began to watch us and their coffee carefully and demanded that we didn't put salt in their coffee anymore. We were crafty, though, and figured out a way to obey their demand but still prank them. One night, we replaced the sugar in the sugar bowl with salt so that they would put the salt in their Coffee instead of us. Their was a sudden disturbance in the force the next morning. We explained that we didn't put salt in their coffee, they did. But, no amount of debate would convince them that we hadn't disobeyed them.
Salt in coffee is awful, but it makes other foods wonderful.
Salty popcorn, salt/chocolate, salty bacon.. Makes your mouth water to think about it. Even cakes have a pinch of salt.
* On our first date, my wife and I went to the movies. She asked for M&M's and popcorn. When we sat down, she poured her M&Ms into the popcorn bucket. I thought that was kind of weird...... until I tried it. It was awesome!
* Imagine how bland our foods would be without salt.
* Christians must enhance the world around them. We should share the joy of Christ with the whole world.
(3) Salt Preserves/Purifies.
In the old days most people had no refrigeration. Meats would spoil quickly. So, they would make bacon, hams, jerky, etc. out of their meats. Salt would be used to cure the meat so bacteria wouldn’t cause it to spoil.
* Many medicines are made in a saline solutions to decrease bacteria.
* our purpose as believers is to preserve morality/purity in the world. As we share Christ with lost people, we introduce purity to them.
2. BEING LIGHT IN A DARK WORLD.
Mt 5:14 14 “You are the light of the world.
The Benefits of Light.
(1) Light Makes the Darkness Flee.
Jn 1:5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. {overpower it}
We live in a dark world. The Gospel brings light and salvation. We are the bearers of the Good News of Jesus Christ.
(2) Light Exposes Flaws/Imperfections.
LED Skin Scope- I read about this being introduced at the Chevy Chase Cosmetic Center. This is used to examine the skin to diagnose cancers and other skin problems that cannot be seen with normal light. Once these issues are exposed, the person realizes they need to be treated.
* The Light of the Gospel exposes our sins and imperfections and helps us to realized that we need to be treated by Christ and saved.
(3) Light Helps You Follow the Right Path.
Jn 8:12 Jesus said “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
It’s easy to lose your way walking in darkness. (Chad/Me lost hunting)
We are to share the Light of Life- Jesus Christ- to follow the path.
(4) Light Brings Hope and Security.
The world can be a dark place. Certainly death and eternity are scary things to think about for most people. The difficulties of life can also be frightening.
* The Gospel brings us to Jesus Christ- the Light of the World. In Him there is no darkness. Eternal Life brings us confidence for living in this world and removes our fear of dying and leaving this world.
* With the Light, we have hope.
3. BEING USELESS IN A DARK AND THIRSTY WORLD.
God has a purpose for you in this world.
He desires for you to be fruitful and productive– not useless.
How can a believer be useless?
A. Useless Salt.
Mt 5:13b but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
Salt is pure NaCl. It cannot be weakened or strengthened.
What Jesus is talking about here is the purity of the salt.
Natural salt can be mined or gathered at the sea shore as the salt water evaporates.
* Salt in Palestine was often very impure esp around the Dead Sea. It had lots of Gypsum in it. It looked pure, but was weakened down by impurities. This salt was often used to put on the roads so that it would be trampled into the roadbed and keep the weeds killed. People also might salt an enemy’s fields so that no crops would grow there.
* Christians who live impure lifestyles make their Christian witness not only worthless but oftentimes very destructive to the lost and hinder them from being saved.
B. Useless Light.
Mt 5:14b-15 A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
* The lights of Cities on hilltops can be seen for miles away and they draw weary travelers to them.
* A Lamp is placed prominently in a room in order to bring light to everyone who is in the house.
** A light that is covered up by putting it under a basket doesn’t bring any light to anyone and is useless. It is hidden away.
** Jesus is saying that Believers who will not share the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ are pretty much useless to Him and His Kingdom.
4. GLORIFYING GOD AS SALT AND LIGHT.
Mt 5:16 Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Jesus Gives us a 2-fold purpose to let our light shine brightly......
A. It is a Witness to the Lost.
John 11:10, Jesus said “If a man walks in the dark, he stumbles because there is no light in him.”
Our job is to be a light unto the whole world so that others will not die in their sins, but come to salvation through Jesus Christ.
When lost people see the light of Jesus shining through the lives of believers, they will notice. Now, we all have works, but Jesus, here, said “good work”. Good works are those motivated by love, carried out in the power of the Holy Spirit and performed for the glory of God. In other words, good works are works produced in us and through us by the power of Jesus Christ Himself.
B. It is a Witness to the Lord.
There is no greater witness for God, than the life of a born again believer reflecting the light of the Lord Jesus Christ. No greater testimony than a life which displays the proof of His presence through the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
Interestingly, light does not exist to call attention to itself, but to draw attention to the things it illuminates, our witness and good deeds should not magnify what we have done. Our testimony is about a great God who loves us and saved us from a burning Hell.
Our purpose is not to make people look at what we do and say, “Man, what a great Christian!”
NO!! We want them to see us and say, “He must serve a great God! I’d like to know that God, too!!”
Conclusion: Jesus said “You are the light of the world”.
