Salt & Light

Salt & Light

Alright. I know what some of you are already thinking. Here goes that man again. No telling what’s about to come out of his mouth. Well…yep. You’d be right. So buckle up. Here we go. Ha no I don’t think I’m going to step on any toes today. Well I might, but it’s not me. It’s scripture. I’m just presenting it. I didn’t make this stuff up.

Welcome to the Red Letter Podcast! We are going to talk about some things this God-man named Jesus said. We have the transcripts. So last week John introduced our new series “The Red Letter Podcast”. We are going to do this podcast style, not sure that’s really going to change anything from up here. But this is episode 2. Titled REAL Satly. On the Sermon on the Mount. What many consider to be “The Greatest Sermon Ever Preached.” So if you were debating on coming today, you can rest assured that you are right where you need to be. Let me pray for us and then we’ll jump into it.

Pray

Alright so first things first. I think it’s pretty cool and important to have some context, as we will be able to use it over these next 9 weeks. And hopefully it’ll help us understand a little deeper. Last week we went through the beatitudes. Right off the bat we get a look at what the christian life is like and that it is very distinct from the rest of the world. But don’t miss that He is making another distinction as well. Christianity is not just distinct from the rest of the world but it is distinct from religion as well. Often throughout the new testament we see how Jesus is patient with those of the world but not so much with the religious leaders. A christian life versus a worldly life should be easy to pick out. But a christian life versus a religious life can look much the same. He says we will know the difference by the fruit it bears. “Many will knock, but I will tell them that I never knew you.”

“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, then you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” You could say unless your righteousness exceeds that of the religious leaders. He’s not saying to follow more laws. He is saying there is a higher quality of righteousness, a true righteousness. And that they don’t have it. That’s not it. We can look the part, but still be totally missing it.

He is making these distinctions bc of who He is talking to. He is talking to Jews who follow the law. He’s telling them, “you keep the commandments, you don’t commit murder, but I say that it’s more than that. You pray but I tell you to pray this way. You give to the poor, but I’m telling you to give like this.” He is talking to 1st century Jews who would’ve lived by the law. But as we know, the law can’t save us.

This is Christ beginning His ministry. He has just been baptized. The Holy Spirit descends like a dove and the Father speaks. I can’t imagine what people were thinking but I would want to know who this guy is too. So a lot of people begin to follow Him which leads to Christ going up a hill to speak. Which is where He begins to connect the old testament to the new testament. Many consider this to be the linchpin in history between the old covenant and the new covenant. Jesus is speaking to a group of jews, who have begun to follow Him, and He seems to be speaking to them as if they are genuinely following Him. But He is about to flip their world upside down. He’s saying, “you think you follow the law, well let me tell you what that really requires of you.” He’s speaking to good religious people who check all the boxes. But as the law exposed us to our sins, Christ is about to explain just how lost we actually are. And at the same time, giving us the path to righteousness.

Salt

So today we are really just covering the intro to His sermon. Let’s look at it. Matthew 5:13-16 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

So He just went through teaching the beatitudes right before this, telling us the qualities or the attitudes that God values. Now He is telling us what we should be doing with those. He’s not saying that once you figure it out, or fix yourself, that you will be the salt of the earth or the light of the world. No He said that you ARE the salt of the earth. You ARE the light of the world. As followers of Christ, we are salt and light to the world. What does that mean???

There are many different ways to preach this and many of them would be right. Bc There are tons of details and uses for salt back then. You needed salt to survive. It was a major commodity in the ancient world. And really I think that’s what He is getting at here. Not necessarily the small details. Not necessarily that it's a preservative, or that it seasons food, or even how soldiers were paid sometimes in bags of salt, and the list goes on of everything salt was used for. I’ll come back to touch on some of those. But that it’s all of those. It’s a commodity and if their world didn’t have it then the world would look dramatically different. And it wouldn’t be good. If this were preached today I wonder if instead of salt, He would say something like we are the electricity of the world. That’s the influence we should have on our world.

Electricity impacts everything in our part of the world. It keeps our food from rotting. Helps us cook. Transfers and keeps our money. Keeps us cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Or just whenever around here. Wednesday was 70, today it’s freezing. But if we didn’t have electricity. Our lives would be flipped upside down. We don’t know that kind of world. What about if the church was gone? What about if Radius White Knoll was gone, would our community notice it? Maybe we should start with ourselves, what if you were gone? Would your radius feel that? The people you have contact with. Am I being salt in their lives? Maybe as salt preserves food, we are to preserve the truth so the world doesn’t rot overnight. We do that by saturating ourselves in the scriptures so that maybe we will be salt that seasons our relationships. Maybe if we are salt in our small groups this week, we would come ready to engage and contribute. Not so that it would point to us. When I salt food I don’t talk about how good the salt tastes, I talk about how good the food tastes. So if we are salt in our small group, then people leave talking about how good the group was. And God receives the praises.

Back to verse 13 again… 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

That’s what they actually did. Salt can’t lose its taste, but if it’s mixed or diluted with too much of something else. Then it’s as if it has lost its taste. So if that was the case, they would throw it out in the street or on a pathway. And this doesn’t seem to be talking about salvation. And some of you know that as much as I wanted to use this and take a jab at the easy believism that is taught in our world today, that’s not what He is getting at. He is talking about our influence on the world around us. If we lose our influence, the world will throw us out and walk all over us. If we preserve the truth but don’t live it. If we are a different person on Saturday night than we are on Sunday morning, then we are hypocrites. No one is going to listen. We are supposed to stand out from the world. If your life doesn’t look different from that of a non-believer then that should be a red flag for you. And it’s reasonable to question at that point, have I ever really committed my life to Christ? Or am I just religious? Bc the scriptures say that we will know by the fruit we bear. Through our deeds and the fruit that the Holy Spirit produces in us. Or maybe you have made that commitment but you just don’t know what a life for Christ looks like.

I’ve been there. I still remember what that was like. In my early 20’s or so. In the beginning of truly choosing Christ. I was working 4-10’s, Monday - Thursday. On Thursday’s I was up around 5am to head to work. As soon as I got off, it was grabbing a case of beer and heading to columbia. Then hitting the bars all night and back at the house for a night cap around 5 am Friday morning. And it was always about 5am, when we’ve been out all night, that these scriptures I’ve been processing from Monday-Wednesday would start coming out. I still remember the looks I got. I wasn’t coming at anyone, I was just trying to make sense of all of this. But I had just been out with everyone all night, my life looked like everyone else's, I didn’t have any credibility to speak into these things. I just looked and sounded foolish. I wasn’t being the salt that Christ was calling me to be. And at some point I had to confront that. Do I really believe what I say I believe? Bc my actions aren’t saying it and actions speak louder than words.

Light

I had light, but I was putting a basket over it. Verses 14-16 - 14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

I was a light with a dim switch. I seeked God Monday-Wednesday, the world Thursday-Saturday, and checked out on Sunday. My light would shine depending on who I was around and the day of the week. The problem with that is that, not only is it foolish, but you can’t serve 2 masters. At some point it has to be confronted. Like a few weeks ago I talked about how we’ll live our lives in quadrants and none ever cross over into the other. Professional life doesn’t mix with our religious life. Our family life doesn’t mix with our social life. And our private life doesn’t mix with any of them.  But we have a light that should be shining in all those quadrants. In order for our lives to reflect Christ, we sacrifice for Him.

It’s not impressive to anyone if we are great law keepers. We all know the kid in school who kept all the rules was the weird kid. What’s impressive is sacrifice. Sacrifice in the cause of love, looks to the world like you have something that's different from the world. Our lives can’t look like a copy of what the world values, then we have nothing to offer. It’s bc of our relationship with Christ and how precious He is to us, we sacrifice for the good of others so that it’s clear to them that we have treasure built up somewhere other than in our stuff. My prayer is that people would ask us 1 Peter 3:15 - What is the reason for the Hope that is in you? But that doesn’t happen if it looks like we are hoping in all of the things they are hoping in. Verse 16. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

So our light is to shine so others would see our good deeds, not for our praises, but so much so that it would bring praise to our heavenly father. What's different? There seem to be plenty of good deeds that don’t bring God praises. Let's back up a little bit and get some context of the whole passage…11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

So through everything we rejoice and we’re glad bc our eyes are focused on Him and the reward that awaits us. The difference is that it’s not only our good works but an attitude that accompanies it. That even when we are being persecuted, we would shine our light and rejoice in the Lord. That’s different. That’s salty and that’s a bright light.

I feel like every time I’ve preached I’ve brought up perspective. Well I’m doing it again. Bc I think it’s that important. If we can see it the way God does then maybe we can understand it a little better. Make a better decision. If we can see what God values, then maybe it’ll help us to value it too. And at the level we should. Well clearly God values people. So if we are going to be salt and light then we need to see the value in people and connect with them.

Matthew 25:35-40 - 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

To quote John Maxwell, “Jesus values people so much that when you add value to people, He takes it personally.” That’s what Jesus is saying here, that when we care for and serve one another that it’s as if we are doing it to Him. So if my perspective towards you can see you that way, then my attitude towards you can be where it needs to be. If I see you as weak, I’ll help you. If I see you as broken, I’ll fix you. But if I see you as valuable, I’ll serve you. That's what we are called to do, serve.

Paul talks about this in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. 23 I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.

So we go the distance and we cross those boundaries. We see the homeless. Might not get why they’re homeless. Might not understand why they stay in that position. But we’ll walk with them and love them and reach them for the sake of the gospel. We see people who like soccer, I don’t get it. But I’ll watch a match with them, for the sake of the gospel. But really, we sacrifice as Christ did for us, in order that we may be the salt and light in a broken and dark world. As christians we should be crossing boundaries. We should be connecting with people who don’t look like us, who don’t have the same social status as us, who don’t have the same hobbies as us, whatever else. Bc pumping our chest out and acting as if we are better than someone else is not christianity. Religion can do that, but christianity does not. There’s a saying, “Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread.” If the entire church truly lived out the gospel, I wonder what the world would be like.

Closing/Church History

Well christianity has been around for a couple thousand years. Where are we at? So earlier I asked the question, what if the church was gone? Big C church. What if there was no christianity? What would the world look like? What has christianity done for the world?

Actually you might be surprised at the impact christianity has had on our world and our culture. You can see it right from the beginning. As Christ begins to elevate our moral standards and he’s about to do it in the sermon on the mount. He raises the standard on sexual immorality and adultery. That even if you look at a woman with lust then you are committing adultery. He raised the standards on divorce. The way women were treated back then? Men were divorcing their wives over nothing and then she would have nothing. Women were considered second class humans back then. It’s sad to look back and see how prevalent adultery and prostitution was. And the sexual immorality that took place. Epstein island was Rome and Rome was basically the world.

And then we can see in history where early christians began to stand for these beliefs and spread the truths that Jesus taught. Then society began to change. Not without opposition, many persecutions happened. But we can watch it throughout history and now we can benefit from a society that does see those things as immoral. All bc our brothers and sisters from the past were salt and light for a dark and broken world. They sacrificed in the name of Christ.

"The gospel not only converts the individual, but it changes society. On every mission field from the days of William Carey, the missionaries carried a real social gospel. They established standards of hygiene and purity, promoted industry, elevated womanhood, restrained anti-social customs, abolished cannibalism, human sacrifice and cruelty, organized famine relief, checked tribal wars, and changed the social structure of society." (Samuel Zwemer, Professor of Missions at Princeton)

Hospitals and health care as we know it. This grew out of christians emphasis on charity, especially for the sick. By the 4th century the church made a decree that every new church would have a hospital built beside it. And still today, many of our hospitals are baptist, or presbyterian, or saint this or that. Having health care was not a normal thing, especially for the average person.

Probably the biggest one is the value of people, the sanctity of life. Adoption and foster care systems. This started in Roman times with christians standing up against some of the same stuff we are fighting against today. When you diminish the value of marriage, adultery rises. Then pregnancies happen and need to be covered up. Abortion isn’t new, it’s the symptom of a bigger problem. And even crazier is child sacrifice. Whether it was to a false god or just leaving them on the street for the elements or animals to get. It was a thing. In the movie 300 where they discard the babies, that stuff actually happened. And you see in history it was christianity that stood up against this. Churches began taking these kids in and created some of these systems that are still in place today. Bc we believe in the sanctity of life. Now our society is fighting to go backwards and calling it progress.

The list goes on of all the ways the church has been salt and light for the world and has shaped the society that we see today. Yea there have been bad times, that set us back. Not denying those, but never were they staying true to the faith. And majority of the time it was those within the faith that stepped up and rebuked them. Not the secular world. They always seem to point the finger afterwards.

But historically, christianity has led the way in the advance of human rights. But take note, that we are salt only if we maintain our difference from the world around us.

So the next question I asked, What if Radius White Knoll was gone? Would our community notice it? Well this one you can celebrate some bc I think this area would absolutely notice it. All the ministries that come out of here. Many of you know, Monday through Friday these buildings are being used. Not necessarily Radius ministries. If someone has a passion and is already doing the work, we’ll come alongside them. We don’t have to compete with one another. If God is calling someone to do something and they’ve started that ministry. They're putting in the work, then let's get them the resources and the help they need so they can succeed. We’re all on the same team. It makes it so fun to be a part of. We have multiple partners leading ministries. As you know one of our small groups got with a homeless ministry and that took off. There are lots of stories of small groups getting together and caring for people in their radius. Give Hope makes a big impact.

I tell you all of this to hopefully encourage you. Encourage you in the rich history that our faith has already had in the world. And to encourage you in what many of you are already doing for our community. The list of these things goes far beyond what could fit in a sermon. So to encourage you but also help you see that we are supposed to look different. The world is going to push back on the teachings of christianity. The teachings haven’t changed, but something has. As our society certainly seems to be going backwards. The problem could be that the church is starting to look a whole lot like the world these days. We are losing our saltiness.

As salt we are to preserve against the moral decay in our society. We hold on to the truths of scripture that are constantly under attack. But we also share it. When you go eat today think about how worthless the salt is in the shaker. It’s doing nothing unless it’s poured out.

Dr. James Stewart, a great British preacher, once said: The greatest threat to Christianity is not communism, it's not atheism, it's not materialism, it's not humanism.

The greatest threat to Christianity is Christians trying to sneak into heaven incognito without ever sharing their faith, without ever living out the Christian life, without ever becoming involved in the most significant work God is doing on planet earth. This is exactly the problem Jesus was trying to remedy with this sermon.

God has not called us to be satisfied with a world that is going to go up in smoke. God has called us to be bold, to make disciples; to share the salt of a godly life; shining out the light of the truth of Jesus Christ, and bringing as many men and women as we can to glorify our Father in heaven. One of the most important things we can do is live as who we say we are. Live out these truths we proclaim.

And in doing so we will shine our light on the good deeds that glorify Him. Through our sacrifice in the cause of love. And the light that sacrifice shines will be what shows the whole world that our hope is not in the things of this world but something much greater. Bc we have an eternal inheritance and a God who loves and sacrificed for us. For people. Likewise we should sacrifice for Christ and for one another. Seeing the value in each other as Christ does so we can better serve one another. If we see each other as valuable, then we’ll serve one another.

My challenge for you this week is to ask yourself these things.

What fruit have I produced?

Has my salt lost its taste?

Again, it’s between you and God. I’ll be doing it. It’s healthy to challenge ourselves and to call ourselves out so we can realistically see where we are at.

We’ll work through some of this stuff in groups. Next week JP will be back for episode 3, titled REAL Sex. You will not want to miss it.