Salt, Light, and the Anointing

Intro:

Today we pick up in part 3 of our series Your Move. Here are a few high points for what we learned in the first few weeks.

The aim of believers is to live according to the kingdom of God and not prevailing culture.

Critics are willing to live at the expense of others, but front row leaders pay the price of discipleship for the benefit of others.

Your Testimony represents your reputation, and it is a reflection of your character.

Reputation and Godly character are built through consistency and discipline over time.

Today we are going to dig into how God uses ordinary people to advance His purposes. Let’s start by turning to Matthew 5:13-16.

Jesus says, ““You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Pray

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Submit:

What does it mean that we are the salt of the earth?

First, we must remember that Jesus was speaking to a specific group in a specific time period. This reference would have had great cultural relevance to His audience. Jesus was a master at using everyday items to explain the truth of the kingdom.

During this time period salt was so important and valuable that Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt. This is where the expression He is not worth his salt came from. Salt on its own was used for clearing roads and preserving food, but it also enhances the taste of everything its added to. Salt was also a major tool for preservation.

Jesus uses this everyday item to describe what should be the effect of the believers life. The apostle Paul also uses the reference of salt in Colossians 4:6.

Colossians 4:6 “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

When Jesus uses this reference you can see that believers are intended to influence and add value to everything around them.

We are to preserve the essence of the Gospel adding flavor to all of life. If we loose the saltiness Jesus says its good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled under foot.

If we are chasing our own goals, plans, and ambitions, or even allowing the world to determine what we are chasing, we lose our saltiness.

Our focus drifts away from Him and our impact and influence diminishes. Disciples of Jesus Christ do no lose their saltiness. We use it to influence the world around us for His kingdom.

The Second part of this passage Jesus says, You are the Light of the World. A City on a hill that cannot be hidden.

This verse is a little bit easier to understand. We know that light reveals. John 1:1-5.

John 1:1-5 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

In Jesus was life. Jesus is the word. The life in Jesus was the light (revelation) of men. The word of God illuminates the darkness of mankind by exposing sin to remove it. Disciples of Jesus Christ are the light of the world. We are to reveal Him to the world.

He even says, we are a city on a hill that cannot be hidden. We need to understand something. There is no room for closet christianity. You don’t lite a lamp and put it under a basket. NO! You lite it and put it on a lampstand so that it give light to all the house. The days of seeker sensitive christianity are over. We owe the world an encounter with Jesus.

We can’t afford to hide the light that is in us. We cannot be afraid of what people may think. If you have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord you have the hope of mankind living on the inside of you. We can’t hide from the world and we shouldn’t. We must be salt and light.

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Apply:

To be most effective I want to share with you something else that we need. If your taking notes write this down.

We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Can I tell you this morning.

Charisma and talent will never substitute for the anointing. Acts 1:4-8.

Let me explain. Turn with me to the book of Acts 1:4-8 “And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.””

As we read this passage I want to follow it with a question.

What was it that allowed 12 disciples to turn the world upside down? The anointing. The anointing is what allows God to use your story for His glory.

Remember that last week I shared how the disciples had a lot of growing up to do. They had wrong mindsets, were selfish, didn’t know how to pray, didn’t know how to walk by faith, struggled with doubt, peter cut a guys ear off, and then denied he even knew Jesus.

What was it that changed them to soul winning, kingdom establishing people who were willing to lay down their lives even to death?

It was the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

The effectiveness of the early church seen in the book of acts is the direct result of the infilling of the Spirit.

What they were able to accomplish was directly related to the Acts 1 & 2 experience. The infilling of the Spirit was so important that Jesus said do not leave town until it comes. In shortened terms You and I need the anointing.

Just like the disciples, you and I can not be salt and light to the world without it. John 16:12-14

““I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.”

The nature of the kingdom brings the flavor, and the power of His word is the light that reveals. 2 Corinthians 4:7.

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

The Holy Spirit is the treasure in earthen vessels (US). The excellence of power is of God, not us.

‌The Bible defines the anointing as “God on flesh doing those things that flesh cannot do.” In other words, it’s God doing through people like us what we can’t do on our own.

‌The Hebrew word Messiah and the Greek word Christ both mean "the anointed." For centuries the Jews waited for the Promised Messiah (the Anointed One).

It was through this anointed one that the yoke of Satan’s oppression would be destroyed. Isaiah 10:27. Luke 4:18-19. Acts 10:38.

Isaiah 10:27 “It shall come to pass in that day That his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, And his yoke from your neck, And the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil.”

Luke 4:18-19 ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.””

In Acts 10:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”

‌If you are “in Christ,” there is an anointing for everything you are called to do, no matter how small or how great the task. That’s why the Apostle Paul could say, Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

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Closing:

Light Bulb Illustration:

A light bulb straight out the box has been designed for a purpose, but alone it doesn’t have the ability to function.

Put the bulb into a lamp, now it has identity but without power it still can’t fulfill its original design and function.

Plug the lamp in and turn it on, now that the lamp has power (us with the Holy Spirit), it can fulfill its original design and function.

Need small table, power cord, light bulb, and lamp.

We will never be able to fulfill the purposes of God to be salt and light without the anointing. The anointing only comes as a result of being connected to Him continually.

My prayer today is that we would learn to walk with God. That we would yearn to be filled with the Spirit so that God could use our story for His glory.

Let’s Pray!

First you must be born again to receive the Spirit

Take time for the laying on of hands to receive the Spirit.