Preserving the light
Matthew chapter 5:13-16
Prayer-
Introduction-
I think that most people want to accomplish something of value in their life and they want people to say that their life mattered.
Most look at what others have done and wish that it would have happened to them.
They do not realize the work and effort that was put into what they have done and want it to magically happen to them without doing the work involved.
The hard part is figuring how you are going to do that. To do nothing, nothing will happen and that is what most do, they have good intentions, but at the end of the day and if long enough at the end of our lives, they do not intentionally do something that matters.
We will look back and be disappointed. Time will get away from us.
As Christians who are trying to live in this world but not to be of the world, we want to make an impact. There are so many things that can be a distraction, can be a hindrance, can be an obstacle.
Life, job, kids, relationships can make life messy even though they are a part of our lives.
How can we do that? How do we live in a world that we in a lot of ways have to be separated from because of our faith and beliefs?
Separated enough that the world does not affect your faith but close enough to make a difference in someone else’s life and not only live out your faith but share your faith.
A lot of people believe that living out your faith for people to see is enough. But is that what Jesus told his disciples? Did he say that just living your life for him was enough? Or did you tell them to live their lives close to the Lord so that others might want what you have?
Might have questions of your faith and how much responsibility do we have to tell them, or is that the preachers job?
The church today is tasked with sharing the gospel. It is tasked with making sure people not only see them living a Christ-likeness but inviting others to experience the relationship of the Lord.
Matthew 5- known as the Beatitudes begins with “Now when He (Jesus) saw the crowd, he went up to the mountains and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them saying…”
Don’t race through that- when Jesus saw the crowd, he left the crowd and went to the mountains and the disciples followed him up and He began to teach them.
The crowd is not following Jesus- Jesus cares and loves them, but they are not the ones going out of their way to be with Jesus. He breaks away from them and looks for his disciples to break with him and he sat and taught them.
After you study the Beatitudes, you see that Jesus gave them instructions on how they can reach the crowd of people.
It is the multiplication process. Each one win one.
If we all do our part we will make an impact on a world that is far from Jesus and doesn’t even know He is not there.
While he is in an in depth bible study of His word, He tells them that they will be persecuted like He is and will be. They should not expect anything different than what the prophets went through before them.
How are they to interact?
We see in Afghanistan that when you are persecuted for your faith that you might lose your life for it. That what you are saying will not always be accepted and received. That is not enough to just live your life for Christ, but you must be a follower of Christ and that means to share the gospel when given an opportunity and you will be looking for opportunity.
Here is the text and he is talking to his disciples- the ones that are called out and following Jesus
Matthew 5:13-16
Hudson Talor
‘God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s supplies”
You are the salt of the earth
You are the light of the world
If you have followed Jesus up to the mountain and you desire to do what He calls each of us to do than He is talking to you and I also this morning.
Salt was in ancient times a valuable commodity. It is a compliment to say that someone is salt of the earth. to say that their worth their weight in salt.
Salt was pure-
It was not the same iodized salt of today. It was from the the sun and sea and was offered as a sacrifice because of its value. It was offered up to the many gods of the pagan world. Even some Jews offered up salt with their sacrifice. So if Christians are to be the salt of the earth, they need to be pure.
Today’s society has lowered the standard on honesty, work, consciousness and moral standards.
It is acceptable to tell white lies because everyone does it.
It is acceptable to lower your standards if it mean that you are accepted at the work level.
The Christian is to hold its purity in our speech, conduct and even our thoughts.
Christians cannot withdraw from the world but they like James tells us “Keep ourselves unstained by the world.”
Salt is a preservative
They had no refrigerators- it was used to keep things from going bad.
Roman philosopher
“Meat is a dead body and part of a dead body, and will, if left to itself, go bad; but salt preserves it and keeps it fresh.”
If salt is to preserve, it then allows people to make Christ-like influence on people we come into contact with. Each one of us is to be a preservative where God has placed us and we have value where we are put.
Illustration
We all know people whose company it is to be good (preachers) we watch what we say and we don’t do things that we usually do. We are on our best behavior. Preacher Chuck Swindoll tells of a time that he was at a hospital doing visitation and came outside to find in a corner one of his parishners. He began talking to him and he could see smoke coming out of his pocket and it literally began to set his coat on fire. Chuck with a half a smile told the man that he needed either to smoke that cigarette or at least pull it out of his pocket or risk that he would be set on fire. We also know people that we relax our standards. These are the people that bring out the worse in us. these are the ones that we will get in trouble with. That we will do something that we are not suppose to do. We must be intentional about being around people that bring out the best and who will encourage us to be our best and to walk closest to the thing of God.
Salt is to bring out flavor
Food without salt is bleau- no flavor, nothing that makes it stand out.
Christianity is to life what salt is to food.
Unfortunately and untrue some believe that Christianity is bleau and takes the flavor out of life. some believe that they cannot have fun without doing something that is against our faith. The other side is serving Christ is fun and exciting and never a dull moment and is actually more life than they have ever known. I have some friends that we can do without all the worldly vices and have a time of our lives and laugh from the time that we come together to the time that we part.
Illustration
Constantine ruler of Rome made Christianity the religion of the land but after he died Jullen ruled and rolled back to the other gods. “ haved you looked at these Christians lately? Hollow eyed, pale cheeked, flat breasted all; they brood their lives away, uninspired by ambition. The sun shines for them but they do not see it. The earth offers them it fullness but they desire it not. all their desire is to renounce and to suffer that they may not come to die.”
I often say that people should know what you are for more than what you are against. Then you turn a negative into a positive.
American judge Oliver Wendle Holmes- “ I might have entered the ministry earlier if certain clergymen I knew had not looked and acted like undertakers.”
Those people that serve God and are exciting to be around are invigorating! That is why it is hard when we lose them because it is not the normal- but it should be! Being a Christian should be exciting and it should add flavor to those that we are around- not Debbie downer!
Robert Louis Stevenson the writer once said “I have been to church today and I am not depressed” shame on us if people are depressed after spending time with us or being in the house of the Lord. It is not what the Lord would want from us or for us .
If we are to be the salt of the earth- we have to be joy givers instead of joy stealers.
Salt does not lose its flavor on it own. It does not lose its saltiness so to speak- Jesus must be saying that when believers lose it, that is when it loses it flavor and now is worth only to be thrown down and walked on because we have lost what we were created for as believers.
Useless invites disaster – as believers we are meant to be salt. EVERYOONE OF US. NO EXCEPTIONS.
Jesus tells us to be salt and he also tell us to be light
When Jesus told us to be light- He is telling us we need to be Christ-like. John tells us that we are not the light- that the light is Jesus inside of us. that the radiance of Jesus is what is to shine in our lives. the presence of Jesus so strong in our lives that they see Jesus through us.
If we are to be the light with Jesus shining through us-
We need to be seen
There is no such thing as a secret Christian. Secret disciple.
Either secrecy destroys discipleship or discipleship destroys secrecy. Christians who are only chiristians in the church are not of much use for kingdom work of the Lord. Jesus did not say that we are to be the light of the church, we ar to be the light of the world.
Light is to be a guide
Light houses are light for ships that are getting to close to land and could crash on the shores. Light make a path clearer to walk. When light enters darkness has to leave. Darkness and light cannot be in the same area. The dominate one takes over.
Ther are people who do not have the moral strength and courage to stand- BUT IF SOMEONE WOULD TAKE THE LEAD, THEY WOULD FOLLOW. If they had someone to lean on. They would do the right thing. There are people hoping and praying that someone would lead. Maybe the Lord has you to be light where He has laced you and you need to top looking for someone to lead because the Lord has you there to lead. You are to follow the Lord and others as you follow Him will follow you and see the Lord do some amazing things where He has you right now- stop worrying about where you will be going and be what you are suppose to be right where He has you .
Warning light
Kind of like your check engine light- when it comes on, there is a problem that must be address
A light that is seen, a light that warns nd a light that guides is a light that will make a difference.
Close-
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
People are to see our good deeds and our good deeds are to bring them closer to the God that we serve. It is a multiplication process that is not mans- it is God’s!
Serving God must be attractive! If we are willing to be salt and light, we have an opportunity to change someone s life. the Lord can take an ordinary day and make it extra-ordinary just by making Jesus show up.
Back to the first verse of the text to finish up- Jesus left the crowd and went to teach his disciple that wanted to be taught- as they were taught, they desired to teach others- that is letting your light shine and be the salt of the earth
Before Jesus would talk to his neighbors about His heavenly Father, He talked to his heavenly Father about His neighbors.
