An Alternative Community - Part 7

Intro

Recap: We’re on a series we are calling “An Alternative Community.” We’ve been working our way through the beatitudes and, to sum it up, we’ve said that we are called to be the type of people who depend on God and not our own efforts or strength or ways of working in the world. For the last few weeks we’ve really talked about what type of people we should be. Now we are getting ready to move on to what type of things we should do.

This is the way Jesus works - He’s more interested in who we are.

Being always comes before doing.

Opening Question/Story/Illustration:

Transition to the Text: Let’s see what Matthew Has to say to us.

Text:

Transition to points: Let’s dive into this for a moment tonight.

Points

You Are

Who is the “you” in the “You are?” Who are these people?

They are the “blessed” people Jesus has been talking about

The Meek

The poor in spirit

Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness

The peacemakers

The pure in heart

The merciful

If we stopped at verse 12, we could assume that Jesus wants his followers to separate and pull themselves out of the world.

We could easily read inaction or passivity into some of these items

But this isn’t a call to be passive - It’s a call to be the right type of people

It’s not a called to be passive - It’s a call to the right type of action - actions that often seem at odds with our way of trying to control and manipulate things.

Salt

In contrast to separation from the world - The view we get here is that we are to permeate the world. We are to permeate society as agents of redemption.

Question: Where have you seen Christians in error by trying to pull too much away from the world? Where have you seen them in error by trying to be too much like the world? Where is the balance?

Salt is used in everyday life - It was common. We are too permeate the everyday life of society as believers.

Salt is used to preserve, purify, and season food.

Salt is one of the most common substances on earth and cannot be destroyed by fire or time.

Salt, in the biblical world, was associated with life due to its uses as a preservative, a purifying agent, and a seasoning.

Jesus says here that the salt can become flavorless - What does he mean by this?

The New American Commentary: Matthew 2. Paradigmatic Preaching: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)

“Loses its saltiness” reads more literally “is defiled.” This is not the scientifically impossible notion of salt becoming flavorless but rather the common problem in the ancient world of salt being mixed with various impure substances and therefore becoming worthless as a preservative.

Believers Church Bible Commentary: Matthew The Visible Community 5:13–16

Jesus may have been thinking of salt like that from the Dead Sea, which due to chemical impurities can in fact decompose and lose its savor. Such salt, says Jesus, serves no useful purpose and can only be thrown out. Here the metaphor hints at judgment for those neglecting their call, reminding the reader of other texts in which Jesus speaks of persons thrown out of God’s kingdom (cf. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30).

Jesus is saying to us here if we water things down if we mix our lives with the wrong things, it becomes impure.

Jesus is saying to us here if we water things down if we mix our lives with the wrong things, it becomes impure.

The call is to be a faithful witness in the world. To Let our lives fully and purely, represent Jesus!

Light

Matthew now develops the image and metaphor of light for us.

He starts by reminding us that light is meant to be seen.

Light is mean to be seen

Illustration: The other night the power went off at my house. Besides being annoying hot, it was also pitch black. You look outside and you can see nothing. Light enables you to see, to move around, to function.

As followers of Jesus we are called to shine.

Jesus says that people should see our good deeds and give glory to our Father in heaven.

People should see the truth of life and of God more clearly because of Us.

We ought to be like a light bulb - a Eureka moment to those around us - A moment of clarity that moves them towards Jesus.

Notice something - They see the truth of God through your actions -Not just your truth claims.

Question: What are some good deeds we can do this week to shine a light for people?

Conclusion

Conclusion

Jesus has moved us from who we are to our function. This week, as you go to your workplace, your school, your family - Remember Who you are and remember your function: Salt and light.

Bring flavor and preservation to the world

Shed the light of God’s truth through your good deeds.