Sermon on the Mount: The Salt and Light

Recap

Last week we began a new series about a sermon that Jesus gave to his followers. Remember? It was to christians about how to live their lives. Who remembers what we talked about last week? *The Beatitudes* How to be happy. Things that Christians can do to be happy and what promises God gives us if we do those things. Tonight is going to be a similar message with a different context, however.

Tonight we are going to look at the next part of Jesus’s sermon to his people.

Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus gives two illustrations in these verses about us, christians. He calls us light and salt.

Why do you think he uses these two analogies to describe us? Just think, don’t answer.

The Salt

Read v. 13. Why was Jesus comparing Christians to salt in this verse? Salt is essential to the human life, to life in general. The world couldn’t endure without salt. We, Christians are no less essential. The world needs us, the world needs you. But the world needs you to be salty.

Salt had two main purposes in the ancient world, to flavor and to preserve. What kind of flavor do we add to the world? Let’s think about that. Most people without Jesus are merely going about life trying to survive 80-100 years then die. How bland is that. If we are just here, to go through school, go to college, get a job and pass on how boring and meaningless is that? Jesus tells us that there is more to that. We need to add some flavor to that. How do we do this? We share and spread his word. Colossians 4:6 tells us that salt is equivalent to wisdom, we need to share the wisdom that God has given us to other people.

Salt also preserves. In ancient times they would coat meat in salt to preserve it. They did not have refrigerators or freezers so they had to keep the meat from molding and spoiling so they would coat in in salt. Have you ever thought, I have a message that will keep people from spoiling their life away? We do and we are called to share it.

Jesus then warns us. He says that if we are to lose our saltiness, if we do not preserve and share wisdom to others then we are useless and should be thrown out. The greek word Jesus uses there is actually foolish, the opposite of wise.

The Light

Is anybody here afraid of the dark? When Ariel and I first got married I had to make an adjustment because she was afraid of the dark and had to sleep with the tv on. I hated it. All that light I just wanted to sleep. However, dark can be scary. Darkness is the reason we are in here tonight instead of outside.

Light is a symbol of hope. Think about if we were to black out all of the windows and turn off all of the lights in this room, it would be very difficult to see, to find your way to the restroom or the exit. Light offers direction, guidance, and without it, we are lost.

But look at the what Jesus says right after he calls us light. He says that we are a “city on a hill”. That is a very unified statement. Jesus says look you all are lights to shine for me but you are to be unified like a city on a hill. No division. The gospel will be seen in much greater ways when we are unified.

What are somethings that are causing disunity today w

ith you and other believers? Is it gossip? Is it social issues? Is it friends? Is it popularity? Jesus says look people are looking at us and we need to be a unified city, an example for the world.

Finally Jesus instructs us not to hide our light. It is pointless to light a candle then hide it under a basket for no one to see. Why do we do this? Why are we ashamed of the light that we have? As I watched our country fight and feud last night, I thought to myself, we as Christians have to shine our light. People need Jesus right now, not a vaccine, not a president, not money, people need Jesus.