Way of the King - Salt & Light (Matthew 5:13-16)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome

Good Morning - Release the Kids

Continue in our series through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount’

Review

Overview

The Kingdom of Heaven

The Mountain

Original Purpose - Sin & Separation

The Kingdom of this age | “the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”

Death, decay, wasting - joyless, bland, hopeless

Sitting

Prophets pointed to the future

Jesus proclaimed the coming Kingdom of Heaven

Passage

Stand and quote the Beatitudes together

Read/ Recite the Salt & Light

Pray

Connection & Passage

Condition of the World - Review the Kingdom and the present kingdom of:

Sin & Death

Death, decay, wasting

Joyless, bland, hopeless

“YOU ARE…”

The Audience

Most obvious is to start with Salt & Light - and just get into it. But let’s try to place ourselves at the feet of Jesus

Ordinary people - listen with ears of the common man - fishermen

The Declaration

"You are”

No striving, the work, declared - of those who follow Jesus

“Let your light shine before others”

The Collective

Plural - You All

CrossPointe

The Purpose

Your Good Works - “Give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

NOT

Big Church, Fancy Building, Cool Lightshow with fog machines to entertain you for an hour

YES

Proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven with Jesus as the King

Live with obedience to Jesus as our King

Invite others

My Prayer for CrossPointe

Transformational Discipleship - Belonging and following Jesus Together (Personal Change) - Becoming

Reproducible Discipleship - Proclaiming and Demonstrating the Kingdom of Heaven Together - Making

We’ve had 2 baptisms this year…

YOU ARE… SALT OF THE EARTH

Value of Salt

Value

Roman soldiers received their wages in salt

Greeks thought salt was divine

Mosaic Law required that all sacrifices be offered with salt ()

Uses of Salt

Maybe

It’s whiteness represents purity

Used to flavor food like we should flavor the world

Used to disinfect open wounds like we should sting the world with rebuke.

Salt increases our thirst like we should live so as to increase others thirst for Christ.

To the Listener - Fishermen - Salt was primarily a preservative

Without refrigeration - the fish that were caught would quickly spoil and rot unless they were packed with salt.

Once salted, the fish could be safely stored and then used as needed.

Application

Context - we are living in a world that is characterized by sin, death, and separation from God. The kingdom of the world around us is in decay.

We can smell the stench of anger that leads to murder, racism, and injustice

We smell the stench of lust that objectifies people, mainly women and children in our own city

this summer, a former Orlando teacher accused of sex-trafficking an child

In February where 300 arrests and 10 spas closed in a sex trafficking ring from Winter Park down to Jupiter.

12% of all webpages are pornographic.

We smell the stench of a culture that reduces the covenant of marriage to a $99 divorce lawn-sign advertisement.

We smell the stench of a culture that makes an us and them mentality

We smell the stench when nearly 20% of people living in Orlando live below the poverty rate.

We smell the stench with Orlando is ranked in the 50 post-Christian cities in America.

“You are the salt of the earth”

Into this context - we are called “The Salt of the Earth”

A preservative to be sent out and rub into the culture

As a church - we are called to counteract the corruption that is in the world. We are called to repel the stench of death and decay by demonstrating the kingdom of God

Those statistics I listed were by topic of issues Jesus will address in a few short verses

Our lives should inhibit sin’s power to destroy lives.

Are you the kind of person - coarse language, lewd joking, etc. Do people free free or inhibited ?

This creates opportunities for the gospel to be proclaimed and received in our communities.

Image the influence and impact of disciples living as salt can have in the workplace, in the home, in the military, on school campuses

Warning

“But if salt has lost its taste it is no longer good for anything...”

“Losing our taste” - WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

In the original language of Greek = Moraino, foolish, act foolishly

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools....

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?...”

Salt does not loose it’s saltiness except when is it mixed with impurities

I think I Jesus’ pray for the church at the end of his ministry when he prayed, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”

We are called to be in the world as salt - but not of the world - compromised

LIGHT OF THE WORLD

You are the Light of the World

Context of a dark world - Kingdom of this world, sin, and death

You are to shine as a beacon, as a lighthouse

, we shine in a dark world, “among whom you shine, as lights in the world”

A beacon is bright and unmistakable in its purpose:

It warns of danger

It directs to safe harbour

It provides hope for those who are lost at sea

Everyday we are surrounded by people who are lost in the darkness of their own sin and depravity

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light, on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.

we are not the light

“For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called, Wonder, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting father, Prince of Peace.”

Jesus is the Light of the World

Jesus is the true light.

Jesus who says of himself, “i am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

“for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

We were not only in darkness, we were darkness

We are not only in the light, we are light.

What does this mean...

A City on a Hill

A city on a hill - Tiberius, 6 miles away - describe Jesus on the mountain and level place

A Lamp on a Stand

light a lamp

lampstand

gives light to all in the house

Let Our Light Shine to God’s Glory

In the same way

Letting your light shine - so that - they see your good works - and give glory to God

Application

I want you to imagine you are holding a mirror, and your job is to reflect the light into the dark areas of the world.

Where do you look?

Or into the darkness - the World

(or) Toward the light source - God

Where do you point the mirror?

To lighten up you own face for a beautiful selfie - glorify yourself

(or) put the mirror toward those in darkness (glory God)

Do you polish the mirror and leave it dirty?

The mirror in your bathroom

the splash from brushing your teeth and spiting

the bits of plague that fly off as you flow your teeth

How do you clean it off? “But if salt has lost its saltiness, how can it be restored?

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

As we look to Jesus, “the founder and perfecter of our faith...” ()

CONCLUSION

Transformed Mind

Memorizing and meditating on God’s Word

We are memorizing together through the month of Septmeber

This helps us look toward God so we are reflecting his light and not just ourselves.

Transformed Heart

Transforming our affections

Are we more interested in our own glory of God’s

Are we more interested in our own reputation or God’s reputation

Silence & Solitude

Confession - silence for 60 seconds

Ask God to search your life

Where can I /we be salt in this broken community

Where can we be light?

Are their areas where we need to walk in repentance.

Transformed Lives

Give 60 seconds of silence then close in prayer and make additional prayer available.