Salty And Bright

There are 8 billion people in the world today. Lifeway Research notes that there are almost 2.56 billion Christians today. By 2050, that number is expected to top 3.33 billion. It is easy to see that nearly 5 billion people worldwide still need Jesus! The world is your huge mission field, and the Holy Spirit is looking for people He can use to reach the world with the Word of God.

In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus used the word pictures of SALT AND LIGHT to teach His followers how useful they can be to reach the world with the Good News of Christ. We, believers, are the ones whom God uses to saturate the Kingdom of this world with the Kingdom of God: that of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost here.

We are to be salty and bright! (SLIDE 1). Let's read: Matt. 5:13-16 (NKJV) – (Slide 2- 3)13

"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it loses its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. 14 You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, giving light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." The Holy Spirit points us to Jesus. Jesus points us to the Father, so everything He does is to the praise of the Father.

This morning's text is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, which seems to be the longest sermon of Jesus recorded in the Gospels. In this Sermon, Jesus laid down the principle and rules of the Kingdom.

IN THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: JESUS LAYS DOWN THE PRINCIPLE AND RULES OF THE KINGDOM.

A. Kingdom Attributes (5:1-12)

1. The poor in the spirit. (5:3)

2. Those who mourn. (5:4)

3. The meek. (5:5)

4. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. (5:6)

6. The pure in heart. (5:8)

7. The peacemakers. (5:9)

8. Those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness. (5:10-12)

The Beatitudes (blessedness) described the traits/attributes that begin to develop and manifest in the lives of His followers as we yield our desires to God. These traits should become the norm in the blessed life of Jesus's followers - the residents of His Kingdom. And the best example of these traits is found in Jesus Himself.

Living like Christ, as He taught in His sermon, is living like salt and light in this world.

B. Kingdom Actions (5:13-16)

1. To function as the salt of the earth (5:13)

- flavor enhancer ; seasoning –

- preservatives

I OBSERVE THE AMOUNT OF SALT CONCENTRATION WHETHER TO ADD FLAVOUR OR PRESERVE HAS A LOT TO SAY ON HOW much SALT there is.

ILLUSTRATION: VOLUNTEER – PINCH OF SALT IN A GLASS OF WATER AND A SPOON OF SALT

It has no value if SALT does not add flavor/taste to your cooking.

If salt gets contaminated, you cannot use it for any purpose.

The salt of the Gospel preserves people from destruction. And as people who have born again spirit, we are to allow the salt of the gospel to preserve us from harmful contaminants of this world. You are precious to God! He desires that everyone become a wise virgin!

• PRESERVATIVES – JESUS CALLS HIS DISCIPLES TO ARREST CORRUPTION AND TO PREVENT MORAL DECAY IN OUR WORLD. WE are not called to control secular power structures. But we must remain active preservatives agents in calling the world to heed and submit to God's standards of morality. There is no morality without God because man's whole idea of morality is derived from God. If there is no God, why worry about morals? But we are moral people because our inner man is conscious that there is God who is holy.

Mark 9:49-50 – Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavors, how do you make it salty again?

I LOVE THIS BROTHER in the Philippines – HE testified that when He got saved and surrendered his life to Jesus, he quit smoking, quit drinking, stopped going to bars, left an illicit affair, left his old life, and abandoned his harmful and unholy lifestyle all because He saw God as holy. That earned him the right to be heard. People listen to him because they have seen the change. When you understand the value of God's Kingdom, you will voluntarily leave everything you hold dear. You are wise enough to know that no one who has the light of Christ will remain walking in darkness. You will lose the appetite to keep your old life, worldview and practices, and anything you valued before you met Christ and vice versa.