Salt and Light

If you have a Bible, I invite you to open up with me to Matthew 5:13-16 and as I mentioned this morning, we are going to talk a little bit more about who a Christian is and how they relate to the world. How do we as believers relate to the world that is around us? How do we live in a fallen world? As we saw this morning, we as Christians are called to be different because we are different. But what we also know is that when someone becomes a Christian, God doesn’t immediately take them to live in one particular part of a country or anywhere else where they are surrounded only by Christians. As Christians, we find ourselves living between two worlds. Our country is in Heaven while we live here on earth if that makes sense. We don’t belong solely to here but we aren’t entirely there yet. Or as Jesus puts it in John 17, we are in the world but we are not of the world. We live here but this isn’t our home. As Peter puts it in 1 Peter 1:1, we are elect exiles here on earth. We are chosen by God and are living here while pursuing the promised land that has been promised to us. How do we live here then? How do we make the most of our time here while we are homeward bound? Peter tells us in 1 Peter 2:12 “Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.” Peter says that we are to live such good and Godly lives here that when people look at us, they should see that God has truly acted in our lives and give glory to Him. Now on the surface, this all sounds nice and easy. If we live good lives, people should hopefully see that God is working through us and everything will be honky dory. But you all know because I think even at your age, you’ve seen this happen, Christians are not always viewed or treated well by the world. Christians are slandered, they are criticized, they are persecuted, sometimes even killed because of what they believe in. Jesus warns that we should not be surprised that the world hates us because the world hated Him. The Christian life is a life that is under the microscope by the unbelieving world because the world wants to see us fail and they want to see God fail. Does that change how we live? Absolutely not! We have a purpose in this world and that is to make God known to those that hate Him and we are going to see how to do that in Matthew 5:13-16 so let’s pray and then we will study the Word together.

Matthew 5:13–16 NASB95

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Christians as Salt

What we see in these verses is that Christians are compared with 2 things: Christians are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Now when Jesus says this, it is important for us to know the context of when He said this. Does anyone know what Jesus is doing in Matthew 5-7? He’s delivering His famous sermon on the mount. We didn’t read them but does anyone know what Jesus is saying in Matthew 5:4-12? The beatitudes. These are those statements like, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” And “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” What are the beatitudes in verses 10-12? Matthew 5:10-12

Matthew 5:10–12 NASB95

“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

What’s Christ talking about in those verses? He’s talking about persecution! He is talking about how Christians will be treated in the world but we should not be discouraged because our reward in Heaven is great! God has far greater things ahead of us than what we can ask or think. Now Jesus doesn’t use wasted words. Everything He says is intentional and true. Do you think that it is totally a coincidence that in the verse immediately after saying how the world will treat us that Jesus then proceeds to tell how we should live and treat the world? Absolutely not! Jesus has already made it known that those that follow Him will be persecuted and hated by the world so we know that the world is in drastic need of God-worshiping, Christ-exalting influence. The way that we influence this world is by being the salt of the earth. Now if you haven’t heard this expression before, you might not think it sounds all that positive. Jesus is not calling for Christians to be salty to those that are around us. Jesus isn’t calling for passive-aggressive Christians that win the world through sarcasm and spite. What does Jesus mean then? For the Christian to be the salt of the earth, it means that it is the Christians duty to be salt to a world of decay. What was salt used for in the first century? For seasoning yes but salt was and still is a preservative. If you had a piece of meat, you could rub it in salt and the salt would stop the meat from going bad or decaying. They didn’t have refrigeration back then so the best way to keep meat from going bad would be by covering it with salt. For the Christian to be the salt of the earth, it means that as we pursue Christ, we are doing all that we can to make the earth a purer and less corrupt place to live. Everything that we do should be done in an attempt to lessen the decay that is being poured out onto the world by the sinful actions of the world. Jesus does not say that believers will one day become like the salt of the earth, He says you, right now as a believer, this is your purpose. John Stott said, “Jesus calls his disciples to exert a double influence on the secular community, a negative influence by arresting its decay and a positive influence by bringing light into its darkness. For it is one thing to stop the spread of evil; it is another to promote the spread of truth, beauty, and goodness.” Would you say that the way that you live is contrary to what the world calls for and lives for? Do you oppose the sin that the world so eagerly accepts? To be salt in a decaying world is to oppose that which causes the decay in the first place. As Christians, this means that we don’t keep holiness to ourselves. We should oppose corrupt practices, we should speak on behalf of those who have no voice, we should stand for life, and a whole assortment of other things because when the church does nothing, the world gets more rotten. Why does the world hate Christians? It isn’t because what we do is wrong, it is because we oppose the sinful things that the world enjoys. Now this doesn’t mean that God has not given good things to all people. God has been gracious to both saint and sinner. There are some things in this world that are good. To bounce back to the Lord of the Rings that I mentioned last night, has anyone seen Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers? How does that movie end? Samwise Gamgee has this great speech that he gives to Frodo, who has been carrying the one ring to Mordor. Everything seems to be falling apart, nothing is going right, Frodo is so close to giving up and Sam says, “ It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy. How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad happened. But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something. Even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back only they didn’t. Because they were holding on to something.” Frodo says, “What are we holding onto Sam?” And Sam says, “That there’s some good in this world, Mr. Frodo. And it’s worth fighting for.” That’s our duties as the salt of the earth! The Christian isn’t someone that just mopes around and complains about how bad things are, they are people that do all that they can to preserve what is worth preserving. Do we live like this? In the middle of verse 13, Jesus warns about if salt becomes tasteless, how can it be made salty again? What He is warning about here is that we as Christians need to maintain our integrity. This means that we don’t compromise on sin. We don’t give a little to get a little. No, we stand for the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. When a Christian is willing to conform to the wants and the desires of the world at the expense of being faithful to Christ and Scripture, we are like salt that has lost its saltiness. As Christians, we can absolutely shape and mold the culture that is around us into something good. When Christians live as they are supposed to, the world takes notice. Martyn Lloyd-Jones once said, “The glory of the gospel is that when the church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first.” Not only are Christians called to be salt, we see in verse 14 that Jesus calls us the light of the world.

Christians as Light

What do you think it means for a Christian to be the light of the world? It means that we act as light in a world in darkness. Just imagine walking through a pitch black forest. No light is getting in, you can’t see anything in front of you, their are snakes and all sort of horrible creatures around you, and at any point you could misstep and fall to your death, imagine how grateful you are when that first spark of light comes in and suddenly you can see everything that is around you? As the light of the world, people should be able to look at us and see that the Lord Jesus Christ is our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, God, and King. What we do is reflect the One who has saved us. I once heard about an illustration by an old pastor named Donald Grey Barnhouse and he said that when Christ was in the world, He was like the sun which is here during the day and then gone at night. But once the sun goes down, the moon comes up and the moon represents the church, of Christians. The moon shines but it doesn’t shine by its own light. How does the moon shine guys? It reflects the light of the sun. The church doesn’t produce its own light, it is to reflect the light of the Son of God. There are moments in history where the church is like a full moon, times like the Protestant Reformation and the Great Awakening where the light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ is powerfully reflected in the life and the mission of the church. Other times, you can hardly see it but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t there. How much will you reflect the light of Jesus? That is what we need to decide in how we live in this world. How much of Jesus will be reflected in my life? Jesus says in verse 14 that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Are you hiding who Jesus has made you? Or are you shining out for all to see? Christians are in an influential position, we are in a hopeful position, we are to be like a lighthouse shining out into the sea as ships are looking for safe passage. In verse 15, Jesus talks about how no one lights a lamp and then hides the light under a basket, but instead its put on a stand and gives light to everyone in the house. Don’t hide what you have. To be light to the world means that we illuminate the world around us. This means that our lives should be lived in such a way to reveal to the world how dark the world really is. This light that we are reflecting, the light of the Gospel and the light of Christ, Jesus says we are to let it shine! Don’t hold it back! When a Christian lives as a Christian has been called to live, no amount of darkness can stop the light of Christ from shining through. You might be here today and you might be thinking, “Brady, I’m just one person and this world is so dark. How can I do this?” But just think of that single spark in a dark room? Just think of the light that comes from a small candle. You don’t need much light in order for darkness to flee. Then think of how bright the light can be when more light, more Christians come together! Remember, you aren’t the source of the flame. Who is the source? Remember, we don’t reflect ourselves, we reflect the Lord Jesus Christ! It is He that is the true light of the world! John writes in John 8:12 “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Remember that our God goes before us and it is He that works. It isn’t you that the world rejects, it is Christ. Don’t forget the worst thing that this world can do is kill you and as soon as that happens, you get to be in the presence of your Lord and Savior in a place of absolute perfection and peace forever. There really is nothing to lose. As a Christian, you are on the winning side of eternity. You are a part of the only thing that will truly last forever! The darkness will not win and the gates of hell shall fall. Rage as the devil and the world may against Christ and His church, we know from the testimony of Scripture that the gates of hell will not prevail against us. One day we will crush Satan under our feet and everything that we go through in the here and now is just the darkness before the dawn. This darkness will pass and as we see in Scripture, as believers we will one day be in a place where darkness is no more. In the very last chapter of Scripture in Revelation 22:3-5

Revelation 22:3–5 NASB95

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever.

No more darkness, only light. Are we letting a world trapped in darkness know about this? Are we letting the hopeless know that there is hope? Are we letting the merciless know that there is mercy? Are we letting the poor and powerless know that their is spiritual richness and life everlasting in the Lord Jesus Christ? That is what we exist for, to make Christ known! To make the world know that they do not have to dwell in darkness, that they do not need to remain in a state of death and decay. Jesus comes to offer life and offer it abundantly. Have you yourself taken hold of this? Has Christ Himself taken hold of you? Don’t let the world and it’s temporary distractions take you away from the only treasure that is eternal. Have hope dear friends, all shall be well. You are traveling through this world only for a short time. What are you going to do with the time that is given to you? Don’t lose heart, let us end tonight with the great reminder that awaits all believers. Revelation 21:1-7 says:

Revelation 21:1–7 NASB95

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. “He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.

Let’s pray and then we will respond.