Kingdom Impact

A Kingdom Citizen is to follow Jesus in making an impact showing the world what the Kingdom of God will look like in reign of Christ by being a blessing to others, and by obeying the moral will of God. To do otherwise, is to not be a citizen of the Kingdom of God. Let’s read together:

Matthew 5:11–16 ESV

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.

Here in Matthew we have been through the prologue in 1:1-2:23, and then we’re going to see narrative/discourse, narrative/discourse (or teaching) narrative/discourse, narrative/discourse, narrative/discourse five times and then the epilogue, or conclusion at the end. So we we are after the first narrative section where Jesus is baptised by John, goes into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan and thus prove that he succeeded where Israel and others failed, and his calling four fishermen as his disciples.

Now we’re in this main teaching section known as the sermon on the mount. There is an inclusio formed by the references to the righteousness of the law and the prophets in Matthew 5:17 “17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

and

Matthew 7:12 “12 “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

We are in part 2 of the beatitudes today. We say most of the beatitudes followed this formula of receiving divine blessing or favor that is related to the upside down formula of the Kingdom. The world says, want to be rich? Store up for yourselves treasures on earth. God says, want to be rich? Give it away.

Moment of reflection: How are you doing?

Impact through Persecution

2. Kingdom impact of salt

The Message of the Sermon on the Mount b. A Christian’s Influence (5:13–16)

The two metaphors of salt and light indicate the influence for good which Christians will exert in the community if (and only if) they maintain their distinctive character as portrayed in the beatitudes.

Genesis 12:2–3 “2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.””

Jeremiah 29:7 “7 But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

Kingdom citizens, followers of Christ, are to be a blessing to their community, not in an overly spiritual sense, but practically and tangibly -PBJ

Moment of reflection: How are you doing? What are you doing to bless Kirksville?

3. Kingdom impact of light

Exodus 19:5–6 “5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.””

Isaiah 49:6 “6 he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.””

Matthew ii. Witness during Persecution (5:13–16)

As salt, Jesus’s disciples must engage the world, but as light, they must never allow their engagement to lead to the compromise of kingdom values and their assimilation to the world. Jesus perfectly and harmoniously models both images.

Kingdom citizens, followers of Christ, always walk towards the moral standards of Jesus. Always asking, what part of me can I surrender to Jesus today? -PBJ

4: Kingdom Impact of Immorality or disengagement: none

Our salvation is achieved through the work of Christ by grace through faith, which is itself a gift of God. Faith without works, is dead. Dead faith is not faith at all.

THIS IS NOT ON A SLIDE. READ IT!

Matthew Worthless Disciples (5:13–16)

Until my conversion in 1975 I professed to be an atheist in part because I looked at the roughly 85 percent of my fellow U.S. citizens who claimed to be Christians and could not see that their faith genuinely affected their lives. I reasoned that if even Christians did not believe in Jesus’ teachings, why should I? My excuse for unbelief—and the excuse of many other secularists I knew—continued until God’s Spirit confronted me with the reality that the truth of Christ does not rise or fall on the claims of his professed followers, but on Jesus himself -Craig S Keener

holding faith to be the only cause of justification. (Galatians 5:6; Romans 3:22.) It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone: just as it is the heat alone of the sun which warms the earth, and yet in the sun it is not alone, because it is constantly conjoined with light. -John Calvin Acts of the Council of Trent: Canon 11

It is not enough to love others through our actions. If our own actions in relationship to God are tainted, then our whole selves are tainted.

How can you prepare now for times of persecution?

what things are you doing to go out into the community to positively impact it for Christ?

What new ways might you consider being salt for Kirksville?

Are you being light in the community? Do you sometimes compromise being light and sharing the message of Jesus for being salt and positively impacting it?