19. Kingdom Purpose

Introduction

1000 BC, God has promised to establish David’s throne, and David prays in 2 Sam 7:18… “Why me?”

Subject: Why did God choose us? What is our kingdom purpose?

Scripture: Matthew 5:13-16.

Big Idea: We were chosen to be salt and light. Our kingdom purpose is to be a sign of the covenant and a sample of the kingdom.

Body

We are a sign of the covenant.

Exposition

What is a covenant?

A covenant is a relational contract, like marriage or an HOA.

In Exod 19-24, God established a covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai… Ten Commandments… sacrifices… Israel broke the covenant.

Salt and light as signs of God’s covenant. See Lev 2:13 (salt) and Isa 42:6 (light).

God made a new covenant through Jesus.

The old covenant was written on tablets of stone, but the new covenant is written on our hearts.

The old covenant operated through the law, and breaking the law brought death. But the new covenant functions through the Holy Spirit, who gives life.

The old covenant required many sacrifices, and could never truly remove sins. But the new covenant was established on Jesus’s sacrifice once for all—his death fully pays for all the sins of all the people who’ve ever lived.

Salt and light were signs of the old covenant. When Jesus says, “You are the salt… You are the light,” he’s saying, “You are the new sign of the new covenant of grace through my blood.”

God saves sinners. How do I know that? Because God saved me, and you.

Over 2 billion living, breathing, redeemed sinners—billboards of God’s amazing grace!

Illustration: What does a sign do? Points to something else. The sign is not the destination but the direction… Orlando… See Matt 5:16… not for our own recognition but for the glory of God and the common good.

Application: Be who you are in Christ (Matt 5:13). Salt is not sugar; it is salt… If you are a disciple of Jesus, be a disciple everywhere. It’s not just what you do but who you are. Following Jesus is not just a performance but an identity.

We are a sample of the kingdom.

Exposition

Salt and light are broad metaphors with many helpful meanings, but two things are clearly in view in Matt 5:13-16.

Jesus is speaking of salt in terms of its taste. Salt gives flavor—think of unsalted popcorn.

Jesus is speaking of light in terms of its revealing. Light gives sight—“flashlight clean.”

Our lives are meant to bring out the flavor of God’s love and shed light on the beauty of God’s goodness. We are a sample of the kingdom.

Illustration: A sample is by design a preview and an invitation… Costco… The church is not the kingdom in its fullness. But it is (or it should be) a genuine foretaste of heaven.

Application: Show who Christ is in you (Matt 5:16). What Christ has done in you, show it to others—forgiveness, mercy, patience, kindness, love, blessing, freedom from addiction, wisdom… Don’t be embarrassed to be a Christian. Be who you are in Christ, and show who Christ is in you.

Conclusion

Matt 5:14, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” We are a sign of the covenant and a sample of the kingdom. We are a city on a hill, and everyone can see our lives. Like it or not, the world is watching. God called us for a purpose: to be a living demonstration of the grace and goodness of his kingdom. We are the visible, tangible, physical evidence that Jesus is King. The greatest argument for the truth of the gospel is the lives of the Christians who proclaim it. So, be who you are in Christ, and show who Christ is in you.