Jesus Agrees With My Opinions

CALL TO WORSHIP

Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)

KiDZ MESSAGE

Props - salt, cucumbers, a lamp, and a blanket

SLIDE - KiDZ Message

Passages: Matthew 5:13-16

Salt tastes bad on its own but makes food better

Salt is not a decoration—it has a job

Light is meant to be seen, not hidden

Jesus says you are salt and light

Brainstorm simple ways kids can help make things better or brighter

Prayer: asking Jesus to show one small way to be salt or light this week

MAIN SERMON

SLIDE - Title

ON-RAMP — SIGNPOSTS & DESTINATIONS

Opening premise: Everyone here has followed a sign before.

SLIDE - Sign

Road signs are helpful. Necessary. Life-saving. But no one pulls over to the side of the road at a sign and says, “We’ve arrived.”

A sign points somewhere beyond itself.

A signpost is not the destination

Its purpose is fulfilled only when we keep moving

Sometimes in faith, particularly in how we see Jesus, we mistake past clarity for arrival. We stop where something made sense—and call it faithfulness.

In Today’s passage Jesus is speaking to people who are familiar with the old laws, but are expecting him to give them new, different laws.

He is teaching them what it means to be a part of HIS Kingdom

Today, I hope we can all look at what Jesus says about rightly following him

because our goal is always to be steadily formed by encounters with the real Christ, not just by opportunities to help us feel like we are right.

SCRIPTURE EXPLORATION

SCRIPTURE - Matthew 5:13-20

I. SALT — Matthew 5:13

Jesus does not say, “Try to be salt.” He says, “You are salt.”

Salt exists for one reason: to be salty. To preserve what would otherwise decay and to improve what would otherwise be bland.

Salt only works through contact. It has to be used. Salt kept to itself changes nothing.

Salt is not a decoration. Its value is not in how it looks, but in what it does.

When Jesus warns about salt losing its saltiness, He is not saying faith becomes fake or disappears. He is saying faith can remain recognizable— and still fail to do what it was meant to do.

This is the danger Jesus is naming: a faith that looks right, sounds right, and feels sincere— but does not actually bless anyone.

Social Media meme sharing. It may be true, but it’s not actually doing anything.

Demanding policy changes without helping in our own way (my example of the couple asking for money at ALDI)

“Our beliefs can be correct—and we can still fail to do what we are meant to do.”

SLIDE - SALT

Salt’s purpose is to be helpful

From the beginning, humans were created to do something: to cause flourishing into the world God loves.

Christians, too, are not only forgiven; we are sent. To love God, love people, and make disciples.

That means being “salty” is not:

Being certain in your beliefs

Pointing out what’s wrong with others

Explaining why you’re right

Being “salty” means:

Letting your faith come into contact with real people

Moving toward places where life is fragile

Allowing your obedience to actually make things better

And here is the uncomfortable question Jesus leaves us with:

Does my faith merely look correct—or does it actually improve the world around me?

Because when faith becomes mostly about defending its own correctness, it quietly stops doing the work Jesus sent it to do.

A faith that never moves outward is like salt left in the container: real—but ineffective.

II. LIGHT — Matthew 5:14–16 (Rewritten)

Jesus says: “You are the light of the world.”

Light has one job: to be seen.

SLIDE - SALT & LIGHT

Salt’s purpose is to be helpful Light’s purpose is to be visible

Light that is covered does not stop being light. It simply stops helping anyone see.

And Jesus knows why we do this.

Sometimes we cover our light by pulling back. We notice need, pain, or injustice— and quietly decide it’s better not to get involved.

Sometimes we cover our light by staying silent. We sense a good work we could do, but tell ourselves we’re not qualified, not ready, or that someone else should handle it.

Sometimes we cover our light by explaining instead of acting. We share thoughts, articles, or opinions— but never move our hands or our feet.

Sometimes we cover our light by keeping moral distance. We name what’s wrong with the world instead of moving close enough to help heal it.

And sometimes we cover our light by shining too hard. Our words are sharp, absolute, and urgent— so people see our intensity, but not God’s compassion.

In every case, the light is real. It’s just been placed under something.

So Jesus doesn’t say, “Make your beliefs brighter.” He says:

“Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”

The light is not our stance. The light is not our conclusions. The light is what we do.

And here is the question Jesus leaves us with:

Where has fear quietly covered a good work God wanted to use as light for someone else?

Because light that remains hidden may still be sincere— but it cannot guide anyone through the dark.

Salt must be helpful. Light must be visible.

And now Jesus turns to the deepest question of all: Who gets to define what counts as a “good work”?

III. FULFILLMENT — Matthew 5:17–20

At this point, Jesus knows the question hanging in the air.

If faith must be helpful, and if good works must be visible, then who decides what actually counts as good?

So Jesus says:

v. 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.”

Jesus is not rejecting the Law. He is reclaiming it.

The Law was never the destination. It was a signpost— pointing toward the life God desires for the world.

And the problem Jesus is addressing is not that people ignored the sign, but that they stopped walking.

Some treated the sign as the destination.

Others walked away from the sign altogether because it felt inadequate or uncomfortable.

Jesus refuses both options.

He says the Law still matters—but only if it leads you to Him.

To fulfill does not mean “to tighten the rules.” It means to bring them to their intended end.

Jesus is saying: “If you want to know what faithfulness actually looks like, look at Me.”

This is why Jesus can intensify the Law later in his sermon—not to make obedience harder, but to reveal the heart the Law was always pointing toward.

And this is where SALT and LIGHT come together.

Salt is not helpful unless it reflects Jesus’ heart for flourishing.

Light does not give glory to God unless it reflects Jesus’ way of love.

Without Jesus, we either cling to rules that feel safe or reject them and invent our own version of good.

But Jesus says neither leads to life.

v. 20 “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees…”

He’s not saying “try harder.” He’s saying: “Don’t confuse rule-keeping with faithfulness.”

The scribes and Pharisees were experts at reading the sign— but they missed the destination standing right in front of them.

And Jesus is clear: Faithfulness is not about being correct. It’s about being formed by proximity to Jesus, not just agreement with him.

It’s about allowing your understanding of good works; justice, mercy, and obedience, to be shaped first and finally by Jesus Himself.

So here is the question Jesus leaves us with:

Am I willing to follow Jesus wherever He leads?

Because the real danger is not disobedience. The real danger is stopping too soon.

Decision & Discernment

Invite band up

SLIDE - Title

You, friends are the salt of the earth

You are the light of the world, designed so that your good works give glory to god.

Today, in reading this scripture you have encountered the words of Jesus himself.

This is who he says you are

This is what he tells you to do.

Let’s take a moment to be with Jesus and compare our ideas of him with who he has revealed himself to be in the scriptures today.

Get with a group of people near you.

Prayer:

With closed eyes, think about Christ.

He has called you salt, something capable of preserving that which would decay and giving flavor to that which would be bland.

Is this Jesus telling you that the world just is what it is and there’s nothing you can do about it?

Or is he inviting you to make the world better by being close to unsalty things?

Is this Jesus telling you to stay away from unholy or sinful people because they will be a bad influence on you?

Or is he showing you he unsalty places where he wants you to go?

He has called you light, something that is visible and exposes darkness to the glory of God.

Is this Jesus telling you to only do good deeds in secret?

Or is he telling you to do good things in public?

Is this Jesus telling you to do good things so others see you are good?

Or is he telling you to do good things so that others can see him more clearly?

Is this Jesus telling you to only illuminate and reveal nice things?

Or is he telling you to shine light on darkness and sin in your life and the world around you?

As you look at this Jesus, ask him this question...

Jesus, where do you want me to follow you so that I may be salt and light for your glory this week?

(20–30 seconds of silence)

Invite people to open their eyes.

With your group, share where you believe Jesus is going and why.

Write it down on your connect card

Pray for one another as you sit with the invitation you have heard.

Offer a final extemporaneous prayer as the band leads a final song.

BENEDICTION

Go in peace—following Jesus wherever He leads as salt and light for his glory.