Introduction:
A. Let’s start with an interesting and poignant story.
1. One day Bill and Hillary Clinton were out for a drive while they were on vacation.
2. After driving along enjoying the beautiful countryside, they needed to stop for gas.
3. They pulled into a tiny gas station, and out walked a man to pump their gas.
4. Hillary looked at the man and excitedly said: “Charley! Is that you? I can't believe it!”
5. She jumped out of the car and gave the man a big hug, and proceeded to talk with the man for a long time.
6. After they were finished talking, they hugged again, and Hillary got back in the car.
7. As they drove away, Bill turned to Hillary and asked, “Honey, who was that?”
8. Hillary said, “That was Charley, an old boyfriend of mine. I’ve told you about him. We dated for a long time and almost got married.”
9. “Just think,” said Bill, “If you had married him, today you would be the wife of a gas station attendant, rather than the wife of a former president.”
10. Hillary replied, “No, if I had married him, today he would be the former President of the United States and you would be a gas station attendant!”
B. It is interesting to ask the question: who had the greater influence on the other, Bill or Hillary?
1. What I want all of us to come to grips with today is the truth that all of us have influence.
2. One person wrote: “There have been meetings of only a moment which have left impressions for life, for eternity. No one can understand that mysterious thing we call influence…yet… every one of us continually exerts influence, either to heal, to bless, to leave marks of beauty; or to wound, to hurt, to poison, to stain other lives.” (J.R. Miller)
3. Popular speaker and writer, John Maxwell, said: “Sociologists tells us that even the most introverted individual will influence ten thousand other people during his or her lifetime!”
C. For the last two weeks, we have explored how the Beatitudes paint an amazing portrait of what a servant of God should look like.
1. I have tried to show us that the Beatitudes describe the essential character traits that servants of Jesus should develop so that they can have an impact on the world.
2. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus moved from the Beatitudes right into two metaphors in order to describe the influence for good that His disciples will have in the world.
3. In our passage for today, Jesus says that servants can make a difference by being salt and light.
D. In order to define the nature of our influence, Jesus pointed to these two domestic metaphors.
1. Every home in Jesus’ day, no matter how rich or poor, used both salt and light.
2. And today, 2000 years later we call still relate to the function of these two essentials.
3. Salt and light are indispensable household commodities.
4. Pliny the Elder, a 1st Century writer had a saying, “Nothing is more useful than ‘salt and sunshine.’”
5. The need for light is obvious, but salt, on the other hand, had a variety of uses – it was both a seasoning and a preservative.
6. Both of those uses shed light on our role as disciples, but for this lesson I will be focusing on the use of salt as a preservative.
E. A basic truth that lies behind these two metaphors, and is common to them both, is that the church and the world are distinct communities.
1. Jesus said that there is “the earth” and there is the “you” who are the salt of the earth.
2. Next, Jesus said that there is “the world” and there is the “you” who are the light of the world.
3. It is true that the two communities are related to each other, but their relatedness depends on their distinctness.
F. Additionally, the metaphors tell us something about both communities.
1. The world is evidently a dark place, with little or no light of its own, since an external source of light is needed to illuminate it.
a. We know that the world is always talking about being enlightened, but most of the world’s enlightenment is in reality just darkness.
2. Also, we observe that the world manifests a tendency to deteriorate.
a. The world continues to experience decay - the world cannot stop itself from going bad.
b. Only salt that is introduced from the outside can stop the process of decay.
3. And so, we realize that the church is set in the world for this dual role – we are salt that must arrest the process of decay, and we are light that must dispel the darkness.
G. Let’s take a closer look at these two metaphors to better understand our calling as servants.
1. Jesus carefully crafted these statements, laying them in parallel with each other.
2. In each case, Jesus began with an affirmation (You are the salt…You are the light…), but then Jesus added a qualifier, which is the condition on which these affirmations depend (the salt must retain its saltiness, and the light must be allowed to shine).
3. Salt is good for nothing if its saltiness is lost and a light is good for nothing if it is concealed.
I. Servants Are The Salt Of The Earth
A. Jesus began with this affirmation – “You are the salt of the earth.”
1. I’m told that the wording here is very emphatic and could be rendered, “You and only you…are the salt of the earth.”
2. We notice that Jesus wasn’t saying, “you can be the salt of the earth, if you want to be.”
3. Jesus wasn’t looking for volunteers - He wasn’t asking: “Anyone want to be the salt of the earth?”
4. Whether we want to be or not, we, Christians, are the salt of the earth.
B. The only questions about the matter are the questions of whether we will be sufficiently salty and whether we will get out of the saltshaker.
1. The effectiveness of salt is conditional – it must retain its saltiness and it has to be put into use.
2. Now strictly speaking, I’m told that salt can never lose its saltiness.
3. Salt is the chemical compound made up of sodium and chloride.
a. As a compound it is very stable and is resistant to nearly every attack.
4. What can happen to it, however, is that it can become contaminated by being mixed with other impurities.
5. The salt we use today is purified and refined, but in the days of Jesus it was not.
6. What was then commonly called salt was a white powder which, while containing sodium chloride, also contained a lot of other things.
7. The sodium chloride portion of the substance could be easily washed out and the residue that remained still looked like salt, but neither tasted or acted like salt.
8. All that remained was road dust and that’s exactly what they did with it – when it lost its saltiness, they threw it out on the ground and it was trampled on my men.
C. Jesus wants us to be salty servants (not salty as in “off color” or harsh).
1. Rather, our saltiness is the Christian character as depicted in the Beatitudes that precede this passage and all the teachings that follow it in the rest of the Sermon on the Mount.
2. As salt must retain its saltiness to be effective, so we Christians must remain Christ-like.
3. Our influence on our world requires that we remain distinct from it, not in proximity (we have to get out of the saltshaker), but in purity.
4. Martin Lloyd-Jones emphasized this: “The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first.”
II. Servants Are The Light Of The World
A. Jesus introduced the second metaphor with a similar affirmation: “You are the light of the world.”
1. Just like the first metaphor, Jesus was emphatically saying, “You and only you are the light of the world.”
2. And again, we note that He wasn’t asking for volunteers - we are the light whether we want to be or not.
3. In John 8:12 and 9:5, Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world,” and that is the truth – He is the true light. Any light that we have is His light shining through us.
4. We, like the moon, have no light of our own, we simply reflect the light of the Son.
B. As with the salt, this affirmation is followed by a condition: we must let our light shine.
1. If salt can lose it saltiness, then the light in us can become darkness or it can be concealed.
2. Jesus doesn’t want us to be a city in a valley whose lights are concealed from view, but a city set on a hill whose lights can be seen for miles.
3. He wants us to be a lighted lamp set on a lampstand in a prominent place in the house, not hidden under a bowl.
4. I read an interesting thing about the practice of lighting homes in the ancient world.
a. As you know, they didn’t have electricity, but used lamps with wicks and flames.
b. But when they needed to leave the house for a short time, they didn’t put out the lamp (matches and lighters were not yet invented and re-lighting lamps was not easy for that reason), they put the lamp on the floor under an earthen vessel where it would continue to burn slowly and safely.
c. When they returned home they removed the bowl and put the lamp back on the stand.
5. So, what was Jesus saying? “People don’t light a lamp only to put it under a bowl. No, they light a lamp and put it on a stand so it will light up the house.”
C. Our influence as a servant depends on being visible, not concealed.
1. Bonhoeffer said, “A community of Jesus which seeks to hide itself has ceased to follow him.”
2. We don’t shine our lights to illuminate other lights; rather, we shine our lights to dispel the darkness.
3. That’s the difference between shining the light in a lighted room and shining it in a dark room.
4. If we only shine our lights when we are here meeting with the church, then our lights are not being shone in the place where it can have the most impact.
5. Sometimes we may think…
a. I want to move…there aren’t any Christians in my neighborhood.
b. I want to change schools…I’m the only Christian there.
c. I want to change jobs…the people I work with are crude and ungodly, I wish I could work in a Christian environment.
d. Have you ever thought those thoughts? I can certainly understand feeling that way.
6. But our mission as servants of light require us to be in the dark world.
a. Christian fellowship is essential for spiritual health and growth, but it is not the end in itself.
b. Rather, fellowship is supposed to prepare us to go and be a light in the world.
7. C.T. Studd wrote, “Some wish to live within the sound of Church or Chapel bell, I want to run a rescue shop within a yard from hell.”
8. Jesus was criticized for spending time with tax collectors and sinners and He responded, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” (Luke 5:31)
D. But what is this light that we are supposed to shine?
1. Jesus said, “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (5:16)
2. We are not to conceal the truth that we know, nor to conceal the truth of what we are.
3. Good deeds that befit our Father in heaven should characterize our lives.
4. And when people see us and our good works, then they will glorify God.
5. They will recognize that it is by God’s grace and power that we do what we do and are what we are, and that the light we shine is really God’s light shining through us.
6. In the end, we want them to praise our Father, the true light, not the lamp which bears it.
Conclusion:
A. To summarize, let me say that serving as the salt of the earth and the light of the world requires two things.
1. First, we must LIVE THE LIFE.
a. Living the life includes two things: godly character and good deeds.
b. We must be different from the world both by how we live and how we serve.
c. We must be righteousness in our personal character and do righteousness in our public activites.
d. We must not fail in either of these aspects of being salt and light.
e. We must not fail the world that we are called to make a difference in.
2. Second, we must SPEAK THE WORDS.
a. There is tremendous influence in that comes from our character and our deeds, but those two things are bolstered by our words when we speak God-given truth.
b. Part of being salt and light includes speaking the truth in a world where most of what we hear is false.
c. If no one ever speaks the truth, then how will the truth we heard?
d. Often, we, Christians, resign ourselves to sit quietly by as we see the moral climate of our culture go down the tube.
e. Sometimes standards slide in a community because nobody gives a word of objection.
f. No one can blame unsalted meat from going bad - it can’t do anything else.
g. The real question to ask is: where is the salt?
h. One theologian said, “To look at some Christians, one would think that their ambition is to be the honeypot of the world. They sweeten and sugar the bitterness of life with an all too easy conception of a loving God…but Jesus did not say, ‘You are the honey of the world.’ He said, ‘you are the salt of the earth.’ Salt bites, and the unadulterated message of the judgment and grace of God has always been a biting thing.” (Helmut Thielicke)
i. Alongside of a judgment of what is false and evil, we must declare what is true and good - this must be done in word and deed.
B. The world is deteriorating and needs salt and the world is dark and needs light.
1. The world needs Jesus and Jesus must be seen and heard through us.
2. The world needs you and me to be salt and light.
3. God wants to use you and me to make a difference. Will we allow Him to do so?
4. Making a difference will require godly character, good deeds, and God-given truth.
5. We must not hinder our impact by sin, by compromise, by concealment, by laziness, or by fear.
C. But allow me to give one word of caution: Too much salt kills and too bright a light blinds.
1. We must be wise and gentle as we act as salt and light.
2. Those outside of Christ are living in darkness and decay and they need the salt and light of Christ, but we need to bring them God’s salt and light in wisely measured amounts and approaches so that our light isn’t too blinding and our salt isn’t too overpowering.
D. But you may be thinking, “What influence can I have, since I am a nobody?!”
1. Humor me for just a second as we take a little quiz.
a. Can you name the three wealthiest people in the world.
b. Can you name the last three Heisman trophy winners.
c. How about the last three winners of the Miss America contest.
d. Or what about three people who have won Nobel or Pulitzer prizes or Academy Awards?
2. How did you do on the quiz? Probably not so well.
a. My point is that few of us can remember yesterday’s headliners.
b. These people on these lists are not second-rate achievers - they are the best in their fields.
c. But in reality: the applause dies, the awards tarnish, and the achievements are forgotten.
3. Now, let’s try another quiz.
a. Think of three school teachers that made a difference in your life.
b. Think of three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
c. Think of three people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
d. Think of three people you enjoy spending time with.
e. Think of three people whose lives have inspired you.
4. How did you do on this quiz? Probably much better, right?
a. The lesson I hope we get from this is that the people who make a difference in our lives are not necessarily the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards.
b. No, the people who make the most difference are the ones who care - the ones who serve.
c. Sometimes they serve deliberately and consciously, and sometimes they serve just by living for Christ and being salt and light.
E. Allow me to end with a story called “The Keeper of the Spring.”
1. Once there was a quiet forest dweller who lived high above an Austrian village along the eastern slopes of the Alps.
a. The old gentleman had been hired many years ago by the town council to clear away the debris from the pools of water up in the mountain crevices that feed the lovely spring flowing through their town.
b. With faithful, silent regularity, he patrolled the hills, removed the leaves and branches, and wiped away the silt that would otherwise choke and contaminate the fresh flow of water.
2. By and by, the village became a popular attraction for vacationers.
a. Graceful swans floated along the crystal clear spring, the millwheels of various businesses turned day and night, farmlands were irrigated, and the view from restaurants was picturesque.
3. Years passed and one evening the town council met for its semiannual meeting.
a. As they reviewed the budget, one man’s eye caught the salary figure being paid to the obscure keeper of the spring.
b. The council member said, “Who is this man? Why do we keep paying him year after year? No one ever sees him. For all we know, he isn’t even working or doing us any good. Perhaps he is no longer necessary.”
c. By a unanimous vote, they dispensed with the old man’s services.
4. For several weeks, nothing changed.
a. As autumn came, the trees began to shed their leaves.
b. Small branches snapped off and fell into the pools, hindering the flow of sparkling water.
5. One afternoon someone noticed a slight yellowish-brown tint in the spring.
a. A couple of days later the water was much darker.
b. Within a week, a slimy film covered the water and a foul odor was detected.
c. The millwheels moved slower, and some ground to a halt.
d. The swans disappeared as did the tourists.
e. The clammy fingers of disease and sickness reached deeply into the village.
6. Quickly, the embarrassed council called a special meeting.
a. Realizing their gross error in judgement, they immediately hired back the old keeper of the spring and within a few weeks the veritable river of life began to clear up.
b. The wheels started to turn, and new life returned to the hamlet in the Alps once again.
F. Fanciful though it may be, the story is more than an idle tale.
1. It carries with it a vivid, relevant analogy directly related to the times we live in.
2. What the keeper of the spring meant to the village, Christian servants mean to our world.
3. The preserving, taste-giving bite of salt mixed with the illuminating, hope-giving ray of light may seem feeble and needless, but God help any society that attempts to exist without them!
4. You see, the village without the Keeper of the Spring is a perfect representation of the world system without the salt and light of God’s servants.
5. As servants of God, you and I can and do have great influence and the world needs what we have to offer.
6. May we never forget that and may we strive to be faithful servants of God, salt and light in the world.
G. Even though we have spent the bulk of this sermon discussing how to be salt and light to the world, I want to conclude by applying this illustration to our work in the church family as well.
1. Just as we need keepers of the spring in the world, we also need keepers of the spring in the church.
2. We need elders and deacons who carry out their important roles with faithfulness and effectiveness.
a. Some of their work is done behind the scenes, and some of it is done out in front, leading the way.
b. Serving in these roles is a big responsibility, and one of the aspects of serving in these roles involves equipping others to become servants, and training some to serve as future elders and deacons.
3. We also need many other keepers of the spring who will be ministry leaders and ministry helpers.
a. These kinds of servants can have great influence in so many different ways; like: working on the building and grounds, greeting people in the foyer, teaching children in Bible class, helping in the nursery or children’s Bible time, or serving people in the food pantry.
4. Keepers of the spring in the church also look out for each other and serve each other in so many basic and practical ways – giving rides, bringing food, calling on those missing and visiting the sick and shut-ins.
5. Faithful keepers of the springs in the church help to make the church the healthy and alive church family that God desires.
6. The healthier that the church is, the better equipped the saints will be to have an influence on the world.
7. I hope that each of us will be a faithful keeper of the spring that God has us serving in, both in the church and in the world, because servants of God have influence and make a difference.
Resources:
Improving Your Serve, Charles Swindoll, Word, Inc., 1981, Chapter 9.
Make a Difference, Sermon by David Owens
