You are what you are - Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16 - The Greatest Sermon: Salt and Light Doug Partin - The Christian Church - July 12, 2020 After starting His "Sermon on the Mount" with what we have come to call the beatitudes, which assured those normally thought of as unfortunate by the world, that God would bring to them a happiness that the world did not know or understand. And which also revealed that Jesus' followers would actually choose these seemingly unfortunate circumstances over those that the world would seek, because, in doing so, they were not only living life God's way, but it led to the only way to live above worries and struggles that weigh others down. Jesus reminded them that in doing so they would be examples to the world of this better way of living. You probably noticed that Jesus did not say to them: "You can be" or "You might be;" but He said, "You are." "You are the salt of the earth," and "You are light of the world." So, if we were to apply what Jesus said to ourselves we would have to say "I am." Which, just happens to be the same words that God used to describe Himself. I am sure that you recall that time when God sent Moses to be His representative on behalf of the enslaved children of Israel. Moses knew that they would ask who had sent him. And you can't blame them for asking. If someone were to show up in your life saying that they were there to help. You might ask a similar question. Especially if they were from the government. So, Moses asked God how he should answer that question when it came up. And God told Moses "I AM WHO I AM" so tell them that "I AM" sent you. (Gen. 3:14). There is something deeply profound about God identifying Himself as being what He is. His self-identification always reminds me of Popeye's exclamation, "I yam what I yam" as an explanation of why Popeye behaved as he did. Which was not always the best behavior, as he was often getting into a fight. And he was on the losing end of things most of the time until he was energized by eating a can spinach, of all things, which gave him the strength he needed to defeat Bluto in order to save himself, or Sweet Pea or Olive Oyl. And then there was that magical pipe of his, that served as a cutting torch, jet engine, propeller, periscope, musical instrument, and a means of eating a can of spinach when he was all tied up and couldn't use his arms. But what else would you expect from Popeye? He was what he was, and what he did reflected his basic nature. For the good or for the bad of it. The same can be said of God. What He does reflects His basic nature. And He is often doing things to rescue those He loves, and He often did so by sending someone, like Moses, to represent Him. It is interesting that for all the mystery that surrounds God, He does not hide what or who He is. In fact, He seems to make every effort to reveal Himself that we, and everyone else, might know who He is. Even if they were to miss His self-revelation by His word, through His people, and in His Son; and all they had to go on was creation, Paul said that they would still be able to discover His invisible attributes; that is, His eternal power and divine nature." (Romans 1:20). Those who become aware of God, and are helped by Him in various ways, and perhaps even those who are thwarted by Him, have always tried to express His nature by giving Him a descriptive name. There is a great, although old, study of these names called, "Praying with your eyes open." The author, Richard Pratt, was trying to get Christians to go beyond the habit of only referring to God in their prayers as, well God or Father, and to start using the sort of descriptive names for God that are used throughout the Bible. Who are you going to call on in times of need, or trouble, or joy? The great physician, the good shepherd, the prince of peace? If you've lost something, you might call on the God who finds the lost. He provided, in the appendix, a list of all the names for God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit; and all the attributes of God. Just reading over those rather long lists is a reminder of our God's nature. He really does seem to be the sort of God who reveals Himself, who makes Himself known, by what He says and what He does. God reminded Moses that He was the God who had made Himself known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He was the God who was concerned about what had happened to their descendants in Egypt, and He was the God who would bring them out of their misery and into a land of plenty. And that is exactly what God did. And so, in reflecting upon what He did for them, we talk about God as the redeemer, the savior, the deliverer with the hope and expectation that He will act the same way toward us. After all, His nature doesn't change, so why should His response to our needs change? There are several places in the Bible where we are told that "God is" something, using that specific phrase. We are told that "He is" a consuming fire, that "He is" not a man, but a Spirit. That "He is" present, compassionate, generous, light, love, life, one, faithful, the God of God and Lord of Lords; that "He is" the one who fights for us, a strong fortress, and the giver of good gifts. "He is" holy, blameless, and gracious; yet, we are also told that "He is" a jealous, avenging, and wrathful God, who is our strength and is in our midst. And that just scratches the surface of what "He is," in the end, you have to agree with what God said to Moses, "He is what He is." The Jewish people were so afraid of "using God's name" in vain, that they avoided phrase "I AM" as much as possible. But not Jesus, there are seven specific times when Jesus said of Himself "I AM," using God's name to describe Himself. He said, "I AM..." "the bread of life," "the light of the world," "the door," "the good shepherd," "the resurrection and the life," and the "true vine." From these descriptions, many have concluded that Jesus is the provider of all we need, brings truth against Satan's lies, gives access to God, provides direction and care, offers eternal life, and is the source of our fruitfulness. But He is so much more than that, for He too, "is what He is." But what about us? According to Jesus, at least in this portion of the sermon on the Mount, He said that "we are" salt and light. Salt, at least back then, was used for more than spicing food. It was used in cleansing and in preserving because it had an immediate and lasting effect on whatever it encountered. You may not know this, but those in the Jewish community also added salt to every offering and sacrifice that they made, as God had directed them to do, back when He told them that they were in an "everlasting covenant of salt" with the Lord (Num. 18:19). The exact meaning of a "covenant of salt" isn't really explained in the Bible. But it is implied that the salt represented something that didn't change its nature. It was, what it was, and did what it did. Like God. And in regard to being light, it is what makes things visible, where they were once hidden in darkness. I don't know about you, but when I enter a dark room, the first thing that I do is to look for a light switch or I use the light on my phone. I want to see what is there. It might reveal that things are in perfectly good order, but it might reveal a total mess. Light has a revealing quality. There are certain things about ourselves that we don't mind other people knowing. It is the sort of stuff you put on your facebook timeline, and even then you have to decide who can see it, "Everyone, friends, close friends, or only yourself." You can discover on my timeline the stuff that's you'd see on a resume. Where I've lived, worked, went to school, marital status, and a few other details. It is what we post that reveals more about us. In general, people tend to post how they feel, what they like or don't like, announcements, and pictures we've taken. But we keep a lot of things hidden, especially those things that might reveal our faults, our sins, and our vices. We are, in real life, very much like a lot of people are "online." When you are online, people will only get to know you, by what you choose to share about yourself. And since they don't have any way to "confirm" what you say about yourself, you can become anyone you want to be. But all that might change if they spent some time with you. But, as Jesus will say a little later in this sermon. He wants our "yes" to be "yes," and our "no" to be "no." Which I've always understood as being transparent. As being truthful about yourself. Living a "wysiwyg" life. What you see is what you get. Yet, in regard to being salt and light, Jesus left a question hanging in the air, "What sort of salt and light are you?" Are you the sort of salt that is useful or the sort that gets thrown out? Are you the sort of light that illuminates the room, or the sort whose light gets shaded by being placed under a basket?" I can't imagine anyone wanting to be anything less than the best sort of salt and light; but the answer as to what sort we actually are is evidenced in how we live life. For we are also what we are, nothing more or less. We are what we say and what we do. Which is what Jesus' sermon is all about. He didn't want those following Him, or those thinking about following Him, to base their identity from the teachings of the Pharisees, for they were not who they claimed to be. They were not pure, which is what "Pharisee" meant; and of them, although not all of them, Jesus said that their true Father was not even God. That is why Jesus had to correct what they had been teaching the people in this sermon, and in doing so, He revealed the Pharisees' true nature. And they did not appreciate it. Jesus wanted His followers to embrace the Law as it was intended. Which He would teach on another occasion as Loving God and loving one's neighbor; which really was a higher standard of living. But the kind of love that Jesus presented in this sermon was one that can deal with the real life issues. Jesus said that if, in dealing with real life issues, we, like those Pharisees, lose our saltiness, it cannot be regained, and we will be thrown out. There were some salts gathered in Palestine that were mostly made of impurities; and if they became moist, the salt would leach out of it, and all that was left were the impurities. What Jesus will do with those who claim to follow God, but who don't live like it, is pretty clear. I don't think that I need to explain to you what being thrown out might mean. But, when Jesus comes to the light, He pushes the idea of what might happen if you "stay salty." Your life will never be hidden. What you do will be seen, just as our town is seen when you are driving in at night from Santa Fe. You look onto the mountain, and you can tell exactly where it is. There is no hiding it. And who would want to hide their life in Christ anyway? Why would you want to put a bushel over the way you are living, unless it is not so good, or you were coming under attack and wanted to hide from them. But Jesus wanted our saltiness to be seen by all. Which is why Jesus, in this sermon, dealt with some things about ourselves that we don't want anyone to see, things that we'd rather cover up. Things like anger, lust, unfaithfulness, truthlessness, retaliation, hating one's enemies, withholding help from the needy, not knowing how to pray, not fasting, seeking the wrong sort of treasure, anxiety, judging others, not seeking God's help, Not living by the golden rule, not being spiritually health, and not being known by God. If you are looking to discover what sort of person you really are, you don't need to take a personality test. You just need to read Jesus' sermon on the mount and put it into practice. It will bring the back into your life what you need to be the sort of salt and light Jesus deems useful. Make no mistake about it, we are to be intentional about shining our light, and letting people see the "real" us. It might start with your family, expand to your friends, maybe be seen by your neighbors, but Jesus wants our transformed lives to be seen by everyone. Why? He knows that when they see our good works, they might give the glory to our Father who is in heaven. And isn't that what we want deep down too? Don't we want our lives to be used to make Him known to those who need Him just as much as we do? You are "salt of the earth," and You are the "light of the world." You are, what you are. And when we follow Jesus, what we are just keeps getting better and better. Prayer: Jesus, help us live you way. Amen.