Salt and Light

Title: Salt and Light

Text: Matthew 5:13-16

PP:

Christians are called to make an impact on those around them by the way they live and what they say.

RTL: If you don’t you will blend with the world and not be what God wants you to be

Points:

Look Different from the World Around You (v.13) 

a. By Your Lifestyle

b. In Deterring Sin

2. Make it Known That You Represent Christ (vv.14-15) 

a. With Your Speech

b. With Your Actions

Intro:

Do any of you guys like puzzles? Have you ever had a puzzle book before? 

There are even the ones that have lots of different ones (word searches … sudoku … crosswords) 

Well I remember when I was younger there were a few puzzle books that I use to look at 

You guys familiar with this one? … (SLIDE)

I SPY 

or this one 

Where’s Waldo? 

Both of them have pages filled with a tons of different characters or objects … all hidden in plain sight 

And it’s a fun challenge to try to spot Waldo or find the exact item

The whole point is that there's always one thing—or one person—that stands out … that’s different from the rest

Now imagine you’re looking at one of those pages … and you’re trying to find Waldo … but instead of a red-and-white striped shirt … he’s wearing the same clothes as everyone else.

Or picture an 'I SPY' game where you're searching for a blue ball—but all the balls are the same shade of blue

—-> It would be a lot harder to spot the difference 

Well the whole point of these books is that there’s something intentional about the way the objects or characters stand out

They don’t blend in with the rest

In a similar way —> when it comes to the X life … X’s called to stand out—and not blend in

Our lives should be like the bright object in a crowded 'I SPY' scene or the distinct figure in a 'Where’s Waldo?' puzzle

X’s are called to make an impact and point others toward Jesus by being different … by how you live and what you say

And if you don’t get this … then you will blend in …

and be disobeying what God wants you to do …

and you’ll be going against one of the reasons God saved you

We’re going to look at a passage that is going to help us understand that 

TURN to Matthew 5:13-16

READ

This passage is important for us to look at bc …

there are some of you who profess faith … and want to be good witnesses to others … but you’re scared

there are also some of you … who profess … but don’t even think about witnessing to other ppl

and also there are some of you … who are in the darkness …. that Jesus talks about

so you are the ones that Jesus says … they need saving

So let’s try to understand this …

What is Jesus is saying when he calls them “Salt”?

well back in the day … they didn’t have nice refrigerators to keep things from going bad

so the way they preserved food from going bad … was putting salt on it … they would do this primarily with meat …

they would rub salt into the meat … to prevent decay … it going bad

Jesus then is saying that X’s are the metaphorical “salt” of the earth … that is supposed to prevent decay in the world

and when I mean decay in the world … I mean that the Bible says that the sinful world we live in … is only getting worse and worse

people disobeying God —-> not caring about what God says

We live in a sinful world … with sinful ppl

God tells X’s then … to be like salt that does all they can to prevent that … to make an impact for their good

But in order for that happen we have to look different than the world … we can’t fit in

1. Look Different from the World Around You (v.13) 

the way you will make an impact in the lives of those around you … is by standing out

and the 1st way you do that is by your lifestyle

a. By Your Lifestyle

How many of you like salt on your food? … imagine if we are eating lunch … and the food is just bland … it needs salt … you ask me to pass the salt …

I give you the salt … and it’s pink himalayan salt … (extra salty) … you pour it … and it’s still bland … nothing happens (SLIDE)

so since it doesn’t do it’s job … you throw it away

Jesus says here that if you are a X … “you are” the Salt of the earth … you already are

and then he says that you can lose your saltiness …

and your worthless … bc you are not doing what God wants you to do

IOW it’s totally possible to lose the potential to make a difference in the lives of other ppl

you can lose your saltiness … your purpose

How? —-> By looking like the sinful world

Now what does the world look like?

Well there’s a passage that actually gives us a great description of the sinful world

2 Timothy 3:1–4

Now as we look at this passage … ik there are non-X’s in this room

I want you to see that this describing you … God is trying to get your attention … by saying “wake up … this is you … and this is not leading you anywhere good … & I want to save you

“1 But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. 2 For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”

this is the world … and this is you … if you have not given your life to Christ

If you say you have done that … these are your friends … these are your peers

And in order to influence them towards Christ and giving their lives to him

You have to watch that you don’t lost your saltiness … that you stay holy

that you are set apart from the world

Does not mean … that you never hang out or talk to non-X’s bc then you would have to leave planet earth

what God means is that you don’t get influenced by them … but that you influence them

Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”

How are you doing with not conforming to this world?

Are you letting yourself be put into the mold?

You can lose your influence … your potential to make an impact in the lives of others

by not living in a godly way

by saying that you follow Christ … but your life is not showing that

when you might be all talk … but no walk …

The Bible talks about how to keep a consistent godly lifestyle

Romans 12:9 “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good.”

You have to hate sin … sin in the world … but also your own personal sin

James 1:22-25

Says that you cannot just hear what God says … you have to do it (apply)

Also … praying for God to make you see your sin … so that you confess and repent

Psalm 139:23–24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

this should be everyday! — be quick to confess when you fall short

That gets you prepared to make an impact on others by the way you live

when ppl talk about your witness … this is what that is

Well if you do live differently … and you don’t look like the rest of the world … then you can do what God wants you to do when it comes to the world

and that’s to prevent and deter sin with the ppl around you

So the 2nd way you make a difference by looking different from the world around you … is by deterring sin

b. By Deterring Sin

To deter means to discourage or hinder someone from doing something by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences

to get someone to think twice before doing something

How many of you guys are familiar with this? (SLIDE)

EXAMPLES

Laundry Detergents our favorite

Well Laundry detergent … of course … is used to clean away dirt and other things

The word “deter” and “detergent” … you can hear they’re similar

both share that same root “deter”

So when God says I want you to be like salt in the world … to deter sin

it’s like he is saying discourage and prevent the people around you … to not get dirty with sin

Bc we can’t clean sin away …

but God says before they even sin … I want you to hinder them …

To be like a speed bump (SLIDE)

What are they for? —-> to improve safety by having cars go slower

Imagine if there were no speed bumps —-> there would be a lot of fast cars in areas where they should be going slow

Or like these

Spikes to prevent people from backing up (SLIDE)

they are obstacles … to prevent people from doing something dangerous

That’s your role too if you say you’re a X

In Col. 4:6 … God says that our words should be “gracious and seasoned with salt”

see God when he refers to salt … it means you make it hard for others to sin

I want you to think of your different spheres of influence — I have 5 that I want you to think of for this sermon

The 1st is The Narrow (everyone and small group)

How can you deter sin in the Narrow ?

Well for starters choosing your seat wisely

not only for your sake … but for others too

if you think … that someone next to you

all about preventing other ppl from sinning

When it comes to small groups … you being focused

And I say that bc when one person is not paying attention… it’s easier for another person to also not

when you’re goofing off … you get someone else to goof

If you can be the one to focus … then you will make it harder for others to sin

Think about how else can I deter sin

2nd - Friends

You need to develop a “Christian presence”

Ask any of your leaders … and they will tell you the many times … ppl have said “oops sorry I know I should not have said that”

why? … Bc there is something about you … that is different … you are a X

How can you be that in your friend group?

by both just being there and saying something

And listen there are some of you who have this friend in your group … but you don’t listen

you know they are actually doing the most loving thing for you

if they didn’t do anything … it’d be like they don’t care about you … and they hate you

So don’t get upset when they say something … listen

3rd - At School

Can you be different at school … so that others think twice before they sin when you’re around

and this not about you being better than everyone else … it’s that you are different bc you stand for what is right

4th - Family

when it comes to your siblings

Don’t egg them on … bc that’s encouraging them to sin

care about them … by holding your tongue … being patient

extended family

not letting them think that it’s totally fine if they cuss or make fun of ppl

don’t just agree with them —-> discourage it

5th - Extracurricular Activities

same thing

be the godly influence that your team needs …

bc what if you are the only X they know …

Well you might be thinking “well this sounds like no one will like me … bc I won’t be ok with what they are doing and saying”

well J did say that it will be hard …

but it’s also not being a “sin police” — where you are are always giving out tickets

this is about who you are … that you are a X … and you love other ppl … so you do all you can to prevent them from sinning

and you do with an Ephesians 4:15 attitude

“speaking the truth in love”

All the ppl in your spheres have to know that you follow Christ and you come to church

You gotta make it known that you represent Christ

2. Make it Known That You Represent Christ (vv.14-16) 

Jesus moves to another picture of a X … he says “You are the light of the world”

and the 1st way you make it known that your represent X is with your speech

a. With Your Speech

Jesus saying that X’s are light of the world … pretty significant bc in John 8:12 he says this … “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

again Jesus says that the world system is in darkness … and listen to what he says in John 3:19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.”

He couldn’t be any clearer … it’s black and white … you either are in the darkness … or in the light

I am afraid many of you … are in the darkness … and you love it

Jesus says to repent and come to the light!

vv.14b-15 - 2 examples of what it looks like to be light

Which think about it … he said he’s the light … and we’re the light now …

we are the light bc we are his children … so what we have is bc of him!

Jesus’ point in bringing up these 2 examples … is that a city and a lamp … can’t be hidden … they have to be visible

Light serves a purpose to illuminate

Like last night … Celeste and I were coming down from Big Bear … and it was really dark … without my headlights … and my high beams … I wouldn’t have been able to see anything

Imagine if for some reasons I didn’t have headlights … that’d be really dangerous

The light of Christ that you have … can’t be something that you hide

you have to be vocal and public about it

You have to tell ppl

there’s no such thing as an undercover X (SLIDE)

God tells you to be bold and vocal about your faith (SLIDE)

Think about your what you guys wear (clothing)

different brands … you’re a fan of it … you’d probably recommend

you wouldn’t wear something you are not proud of … and embarrassed about

you where things that you are confident about …

What we’re talking about here … is like you wearing a T-Shirt …. “I am a follower of Christ”

We can’t be ashamed of being involved in church … of being a X

Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

But there’s a temptation for you to fear …

But Jesus knows that ppl are going to fear …

either bc of what ppl will say … think … or do

but he says Matthew 10:28 “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Jesus says … You are the light of the world … I am calling you to be a light to people (to be lantern in the darkness)

… and don’t be afraid … bc I have all the power!

So 1st thing … is let the other ppl in your spheres of influence know … that you are involved in church … that you’re a X

even if they make fun of you!

they should know

After that … use your words … 1st Good Words … and Gospel Words

Good words

Ephesians 4:29 “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”

there are some of you … (make fun of ppl, cuss, tear down etc.)

God hates it … and he calls you to repent

For the X’s in the room who are tracking with what I am saying … be strategic with your words … aim them be useful to ppl

to encourage and point ppl to Scripture (talk about the Bible)

that’s why you have to know what the Bible says

You know the God says the Bible is a guide … bc it’s light

Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

And some of the time … this involves letting ppl know that they are going down a wrong path

a lot of you have this … you have friends who were not necessarily bad or rebellious before … but now they are

you’ve been friends with them for a while … and it’s awkward to have to talk to them about this … but if you love them … you will

Another aspect to “good and godly words” … is found in Phil 2:14-15

and probably not something you would think of …

Philippians 2:14–15 “Do all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,”

You stand out … if you do not use your words to complain … to grumble … bc everyone else does that … but you are THANKFUL

2nd G … Gospel Words

this is sharing the gospel (the gospel is light)

there are so many ways to share the gospel

But if we’re honest … it’s not the way of sharing of it that gets us nervous … it’s just doing

bc as I say this … there are ppl in this room … that you know need to be pressed to respond

they’re your friends … be that friend that steps up and tells them

And if you’re one of those friends … surrender your life to Christ!

Again think about those spheres of influence … who needs to hear the gospel … (doesn’t matter if they have heard it)

Alright … 2nd way you make it known that you represent Christ … is with your actions

b. With Your Actions

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.”

If you say you are saved … God wants you to do godly things for him!

For an audience of ONE … not yourself … but God!

Think about football players when they are interviewed

not praise to yourself but to God 

that’s the whole point of good works 

Car advertisements (SLIDE)

So guys … other people should know and see …

why you do the things you do … why you don’t do those things … why talk like that… why you live that way

Godly Actions … can be things you do for other ppl

loving ppl …

standing out by how you treat ppl (your sacrifice)

meeting ppl’s needs … and asking how you can do that

a great way … is asking ppl in your small group … how you can pray for them

See … you have to go out of your way

And guys … all we’ve talked about goes back … to the gospel …

why should you be a light … bc you have been saved

and you now … have a different reason why you do the things you do

2 Corinthians 5:9 “So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.”

Why? … this the reason … it comes down to God’s love for you

2 Corinthians 5:14–15 “For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”

See the good news of JC … is for all of us in the room

for those that are saved … the love of X motivates us

for those that are not … you need to place your faith in Jesus and give up your sinful lifestyle

My prayer is you would all listen to God has said to you … that you would be salt and light in this world

and if you’re not a X … that you would give an ear to those that are trying to be salt and light in your life

LET’S PRAY