Introduction:
A. As you know, I like to start my sermons with something interesting or humerous, so I decided to start today’s sermon with a funny story about a science chemistry experiment gone wrong.
1. So, I started searching online, thinking surely there must be some great stories out there.
a. I stumbled on one that didn’t have a lot of details, which would have made it funnier, but I guess during one demonstration, the teacher accidentally made Nitrous oxide, N2O, also known as laughing gas.
b. Can you imagine the scene in that classroom as the gas began to take effect on the teacher, and then as it spread to the entire class - it must have been a very funny scene.
2. Other than the story of a guy who was carrying a beaker full of acid and somebody asked him for the time...all the other stories were very serious ones.
3. There were countless stories of serious explosions and students being badly burned.
4. So, I guess the subject of high school chemistry experiments gone bad is not a funny subject.
B. In the same way, it is not funny to use the wrong formula for spiritually impacting our world.
1. That is certainly a formula we want to get right - Am I right about that?
2. In our present sermon series, we are talking about being mission minded disciples of Jesus.
3. We’ve been talking about how much lost souls matter to God and therefore should matter to us.
4. Last week we talked about the fact that trying to reach out to people will be costly – it will require time, effort, preparation and the potential for rejection, or even persecution.
5. But in the face of these costs, we determined that the benefits far outweigh the costs.
6. Those benefits will be realized by us, who are engaged in God’s mission, by those who are the recipients of our efforts, and by God himself as He glories in our efforts and the results.
C. Today, we want to turn our attention to a formula for impacting our world with the Gospel.
1. God has not only given us a goal, He has also given us a methodology for reaching that goal.
2. The methodology is not given to us in great detail, rather it is given to us in the form of two illustrations.
3. Look again with me at Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:13-16,
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
4. Here’s how Eugene Peterson paraphrases these verses in The Message:
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand – shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.” (The Message, by Eugene Peterson)
D. In the simplest of terms, Jesus tells us that we, His followers, are salt and light.
1. To put that in terms of a formula, it would look like this: SALT + LIGHT = IMPACT
2. Why did Jesus choose those two metaphors to describe our mission?
3. First of all, they are so common and universal that everyone would understand them.
4. And second, they are clear and memorable illustrations.
I. The Sermon from SALT.
A. So, what can we learn from salt? What does salt do that is so important?
B. First of all, Salt makes things taste better - It is a seasoning.
1. I know that we feel a little bit guilty every time we reach for the saltshaker, because too much salt can affect our blood pressure in a negative way.
2. But who wants to eat corn on the cob without some salt? Anybody?
3. How about unsalted peanuts or unsalted crackers? Yuk!
4. Salt is a wonderful seasoning that enhances the flavor of all kinds of foods.
5. And what else does salt do?
C. Salt makes us thirsty.
1. I’m told that that’s why bars serve salty pretzels and peanuts free of charge.
2. They are trying to make people thirsty so that they will buy more drinks.
3. And what else does salt do?
D. Finally, and perhaps, most importantly, Salt preserves.
1. Back in Jesus’ day they didn’t have Frigidaires or refrigerators of any brand.
2. The only way they could prevent food from spoiling was salt.
3. Certain meats could be preserved for long periods of time if they were dried and carefully packaged in salt.
E. So, these are the things that salt does: it stimulates thirst, it adds to the taste of things, and it holds back decay.
1. Which of these uses of salt do you think Jesus had in mind when he looked at his followers and said, “You are the salt of the earth?”
2. The most truthful answer is: We Don’t Know.
3. He could have had in mind any of them or all of them.
a. When we are living a life in tune with God filled with purpose, peace and joy, this often creates a spiritual thirst in people around us.
b. When we Christians live out our lives with integrity and boldness, we put a little zing into the lives of those around us – that can spice things up.
c. And when we are living Christ-honoring lives we can hold back the moral decay in the society around us – we do it by example and by clear reasoning and transmission of truth.
4. So, all of these uses of salt can convey important aspects of our mission for God.
5. Jesus chose not to elaborate on the specifics of the use of salt, rather He focused only on the potency of the salt.
6. I want us to come back to that important point in just a minute.
7. But for now, let’s spend a minute talking about light.
II. The Lesson from LIGHT.
A. In addition to being SALT, Jesus said that we are LIGHT.
1. It is again appropriate to ask what made Jesus choose this metaphor - what does light do?
B. First of all, Light expels DARKNESS or exposes what is in DARKNESS.
1. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like the dark.
2. When it is completely dark, my imagination can run wild.
3. But, all I have to do is turn on a light and the darkness disappears and whatever is in the dark can be seen.
4. What else does a light do?
C. Light also serves as a GUIDE.
1. I love to fly and I enjoy the window seat so I can see the clouds and the landscape below.
2. But something that is fascinating to me is the way that the runway lights stand out so vividly from all the other lights.
3. They can be seen for miles and they guide the pilot and enable a safe landing.
D. So, which of these uses of light did Jesus have in mind?
1. Again, to be truthful, we really don’t know.
2. Both are wonderful examples of what we should be as lights to the world.
3. Part of our role is to expel and expose the darkness by shining forth God’s light.
4. And certainly, as lights to the world we act as a guide to lead others straight to the Lord.
E. But again, we notice that Jesus didn’t elaborate on all the applications involved in us being the light of the world.
1. What we do notice, however, is that Jesus focused on the issue of proximity or visibility.
2. Let’s spend a few minutes focusing on the application points that Jesus focused on when He said that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
3. Let’s talk about the importance of potency and proximity.
III. The Importance of POTENCY and PROXIMITY
A. The point that Jesus was trying to make about salt, was that for salt to have its maximum impact it must have HIGH POTENCY.
1. “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” (Mt. 5:13)
2. What did Jesus mean?
a. In Jesus’ day, salt was not as refined as it is today.
b. It was collected from around the Dead Sea where the salt crystals were often mixed with other minerals.
c. Since the actual salt was more soluble than the other impurities, rain could wash out the salt and what was left looked like salt, but was without saltiness and therefore without value.
3. In the same way, we Christians must not lose our saltiness - our potency must remain high.
a. Our high potency comes from our close connection to God and God’s people.
b. That close connection comes from our regular spiritual practices; like worship, study and service.
c. Our high potency also comes as we reflect the character and values of God.
4. Very sadly, though, many Christians have lost their saltiness.
a. George Barna, statistician and author, says that research shows that “…the average Christian in the average church is almost indistinguishable from the rest of society. The fundamental moral and ethical difference that Christ can make in how we live is missing. When our teens claim to be saved, get pregnant and do drugs at the same rate as the general teenage population, when the marriages of Christians end in divorce at the same rate as the rest of society, when Christians cheat in business, or lie, steal, and cheat on their spouses at the same statistical level as those who say they are not Christians, something is horribly wrong.”
5. I hope and pray that Barna’s findings about the average Christian and the average church are not representative of our church and its members.
a. I hope and pray that we have not lost all our saltiness, but I do want to encourage us to be careful that we don’t lose our saltiness.
6. We must remember that our standard is God’s holiness, God’s character, God’s values.
a. It is very hard for us to be in the world and not become like the world.
b. It is so easy to become desensitized and sucked into the ungodly culture around us.
c. But we must not allow that to happen - Jesus says that we are salt and that we must maintain our saltiness.
7. So, one thing Jesus wants us to pay close attention to is our potency – we must remain salty.
B. The point that Jesus was trying to make about light, was that for light to have its maximum impact it must have CLOSE PROXIMITY. (or unhindered visibility)
1. Look back at Jesus’ clarification about us being light, he said, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:14-16)
2. Just like we talked about the importance of the potency of salt, we could talk about the potency of light, but that is not how Jesus used that illustration.
a. Each of our lights can be either strong and bright, or weak and dim.
b. And our light’s brightness might have something to do with our connection to our power source or the strength of our batteries.
3. Rather than making that point about light, Jesus wanted us to understand that for light to have its intended effect, it must not be covered up or obscured in any way.
a. If no one can see the light, what good can the light do? Very little.
b. In the same way, if the salt stays in the saltshaker, then it can’t have its effect. Right?
4. For light and salt to make an impact, then they both must have close proximity to the person or thing they are intended to impact.
5. And the same is true for us - is there any way we can be light and salt to the world if we have little or no contact with the world? Of course not!
a. How will we ever be able to bring the good news to unbelievers if we don’t have some kind of contact or relationship with unbelievers?
b. If we remain aloof or isolated from those outside of the church, then we will never be able to impact them.
C. So, both of these things, potency and proximity, are necessary.
1. If we have potency without proximity, then few are impacted.
2. But if we have proximity without potency, then equally few are impacted.
Conclusion:
A. So, here is the formula that will help us accomplish our role as mission minded disciples: Maximum Impact = Good LIFE + Good DEEDS + Good WORDS.
1. In each of our lives and in the collective work of our congregation, we need to focus on both the PROCLAMATION of the GOSPEL and the DEMONSTRATION of the GOSPEL.
2. Our good life and good deeds will pave the way for the good news.
3. That does not mean that the good news cannot be delivered or proclaimed first, but in many cases the good words have the greatest impact only in the context of the good life and works.
B. Let me remind us that in the end it is all about God and His power and enabling.
1. The work of His Word and Spirit within us brings the transformation and equipping we need.
2. It is His power that gives us the courage and the ability to share the Gospel.
3. And it is the working of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of others that brings them to faith and obedience.
4. We are just the humble tools in God’s hands, but we must realize that God has chosen to do His work through us.
C. In the coming sermons in this series, we will continue to talk about becoming more useful tools for God as His mission minded disciples.
1. We will talk more about these good works and good words that can help to get the attention of others and bring them to faith and truth.
2. For today, though, I want to challenge us to make an honest assessment of ourselves.
3. How are we doing as salt and light?
4. What is our level of potency?
a. Do we look more like Jesus or the world?
b. How salty are we?
5. What is our level of proximity?
a. Are we building relational bridges with schoolmates, co-workers, neighbors and family members?
b. Have we hidden our light or are we letting it shine?
6. Let’s ask God to show us how we can be more effective as the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Resources:
• Becoming a Contagious Christian, Bill Hybels
• The Externally Focused Church, Rick Rusaw and Eric Swanson
