You are the Salt and the Light
You either are or you aren't.
This holds true for Christians. There is no in the middle, no lukewarm, no kinda.
You are the salt of the earth.
You are the light of the world.
- Jesus is not saying you should do "salty" things, or do "light" things.
- He is saying you are salt and you are light.
The sermon on the Mount is 111 verses. At 125wpm, it would take you 20min to deliver the sermon on the Mount.
In response to the sermon on the Mount, some try to:
- grit it out - legalism, conservatism
- give it up - liberalism
The only person who perfectly kept the sermon on the Mount was Jesus. The sermon on the Mount points us to Jesus through:
- humbly repenting
- humbly abiding
You are the salt of the earth
What did "salt of the earth" mean to the audience Jesus was speaking to? And how does that apply now?
- to them, salt was very expensive
- it was a form of payment for Roman soldiers
- "you are not worth your salt" - that's where this saying comes from
- salt had medicinal value - antibacterial
- they would share salt as a sign of friendship, like coffee for us today
- salt is also seasoning, it brings out a better flavor in what you add it to
- salt is a preservative
Subtle influence
Our world is naturally breaking down.
- We are the seasoning and preservation on this earth.
There are no salt substitutes.
- nothing else will stop the world from breaking down
- for example: politics, psychology, education
Matthew 5:13 NLT
[13] “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
Stay salty
- don't lose your edge. Don't lose your distinctiveness
How does salt lose its saltiness?
- give it up - become like culture. Compromising, copying, and consuming
- grit it out - "Jesus jerks". Unkind, ungracious, condemning.
Colossians 4:6 NLT
[6] Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
To counteract the "give it up" mentality, we need participation and surrender.
To counteract the "grit it out" mentality, we need humility and identity.
Spread out
- we should not expect non-christians to always come to our stuff (e.g., church)
- the answer is that the church needs to go and be at the workplace, in the neighborhood, in the family
- Christian salt is meant to be rubbed into the secular community, not kept in the church
You don't need a big movement or big figurehead or big platform to influence society.
You are the light of the world
Visible hope
- when people look at you, as a follower of Christ, they should see hope
- the patience, perspective, and perseverance of hope
- when things go dark in the world, be a light of the visible hope
Our world is in the dark looking for hope
- the dark creates fear and despair
- our recent presidential candidates have all run on a campaign of hope
Darkness
- could mean you are morally evil
- could mean you are spiritually naive, or have a hard heart
Don't hide the light
Give it up style
- covert Christianity
- chameleons
- wasting time and opportunity
Grit it out style
- self serving Christianity
- hypocritical judgmentalism
- complaining Christians
Philippians 2:14-15 NLT
[14] Do everything without complaining and arguing, [15] so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.
The way to be the light of the world is to stay with the light, Jesus.
Reflect the light of Jesus to a dark world
Y'all create a counter culture of hope
- the lamps and the torches can be seen for miles
Topics coming in future weeks - sex
- money
- disagreement
- hate/enemies
- religion
Matthew 5:16 NLT
[16] In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
Matthew 5:11-12 NLT
[11] “God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. [12] Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
1 Peter 3:8-10 NLT
[8] Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. [9] Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t retaliate with insults when people insult you. Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God has called you to do, and he will grant you his blessing. [10] For the Scriptures say, “If you want to enjoy life and see many happy days, keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies.
1 Peter 3:13-16 NLT
[13] Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? [14] But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. [15] Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. [16] But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.
People aren't going to ask you about Jesus if your life doesn't beg the question.
Don't blame society for its falling apart.
Instead, ask: Where is the light? Where is the salt? Where are you?