Salt and Light
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Big Idea: Jesus’ followers are people of profound impact and influence. In order to steward this impact and influence well, we have to live purposefully outward and others focused lives. The thing that many people are needing to help them in their decision to follow Jesus is an actual living example of Jesus in the world.
Introduction -
I have learned…there are two types of people in this world. Do salting the chips at the Mexican restaurant bit…
Salt is actually incredible. I’ve done a lot of research this week on salt. Did you know that if our oceans were not salty that our temperatures would be so cold on earth that no life could survive. Also, freshwater algae is not capable of producing oxygen in great enough quantity for us to have the atmosphere that we have....meaning without salty oceans we wouldn’t have enough air to breath....see what I mean…salt is incredible!
Now why am telling you about salt? If you have read ahead this week then perhaps you already know the answer to that question. But if not, this is what Jesus compares His followers to in the section of the sermon on the mount that we are going to cover this week.
So…I think the best way to go about it is to just jump into it. Here we go...
“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.
Do 14,000 uses for salt bit
Form of currency - solarium - salary
Salt was used in covenants - take salt in the presence of others (do throwing the salt over your shoulder bit) (fun fact: do judas bit)
Salt was a preservative
Salt was used for medical purposes
Salt was used for flavoring
Here is the main idea though:
In order for salt to be effective as an agent of contrast, it has to come into contact with something.
Here is what Jesus was communicating to his followers:
You are a person of profound impact.
(not you will be salt but you are salt)
Do salt never stops being salty bit.
The only way salt loses its saltiness is when it stays in it’s shaker or when other elements come into contact with it that dilute its contrasting capabilities.
How do we loose our saltiness?
We can fail to interact with the world around us.
It is as we fail to act that we have been rendered ineffective as salt. As we fail to come into contact.
And we can do this in a thousand different ways but I want to highlight a few that I think are particularly relevant to our day and age.
We can do this as we get comfortable in our own circles. Who are the people we (perhaps not always, but most of the time) agree with? Are you in relationships that challenge you to think differently or consider a different perspective regularly or are you caught in a feedback loop of people who only agree with you?
Are you investing in relationships with people? Sometimes we can convince ourselves that we are outside of the salt shaker because we have several relationships with people and yet the depth of those relationships are so shallow that we are unable to make in impact. Do you have deep enough relationships that you can actually bring contrast and impact.
We can become like the world around us therefore losing our contrasting property.
We often do this as we take on the viewpoint of the world as we approach the issues of our day.
Do homeless task force bit...
Do anti-abortion vs. pro-life bit
That is to say…with both of these issues…our world has some messed up views on many of the major issues and we can become ineffective as we take on a viewpoint that is consistent with that of the world around us. Perhaps our greatest danger of becoming diluted is found in how we respond.
By this I mean, our world is really good at talking issues to death. While there is a time for speaking up…if we are not careful, we can render ourselves salt-less if we fail to act. Many of the issues facing our community don’t need any more voices but instead need hands and feet that will actually go and do and get involved. Remember, salt must come into contact with something in order to be effective and actually make an impact.
So that’s salt. Jesus gives us another example of what we are to be though…let’s read on.
“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.
Light is a major theme in scripture and there is no shortcut to explain this concept apart from letting the Bible tell it’s own story here. Here is what scripture says about light.
Light emanates from God.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
So much so that it can be said that God is light. Although not simply physical light.
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
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.”
God’s words and the life and example of Jesus are the light through which we see and interact with our world.
The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light; And reproofs for discipline are the way of life
If we are disciples of Jesus we have been called into this light as a reflection of this light.
but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light
God has a purpose in making us reflectors of His light.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
Summarize - God is the light of the world that brings hope in the darkness. He offers a way to see and interact with the world that actually brings life. Have you ever thought about how dangerous of a place our world would be without any light. You couldn’t drive. Every task, even the simplest, would be more complicated and inherently more dangerous (imagine what cooking a meal would be like if done in total darkness).
This doesn’t just apply to physical light either. In fact, this theme of light isn’t primarily about physical light. Our world is full of oppressive spiritual, moral, social, mental, and emotional darkness that perpetuates untold dangers and evil at every turn. As we follow Jesus, we are choosing by faith to walk in His light. That is to say, we allow His Word and example to inform the way we see our morals, the social issues of our day, our mental and emotional state. When we live in this light, the outworking of this life is a reflection of Jesus’ light in the world around us.
This is meant to be contrasted with the idea that we can somehow be our own source of light.
Have you ever thought of this…? We would never know the moon existed without light from the sun. On its own, the moon has no power to produce light. This imagery of light is ultimately about the influence of God on our world and when you extend the metaphor out to include us (like it does in this passage) it shows us that:
As followers of Jesus, we are people of incredible influence to the world around us.
I think there are two things about this influence that we see from these verses.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
What if it isn’t about how bright we can shine but how broadly we diffuse our light?
We can sometimes think that because our impact is small that it is somehow insignificant. If you have ever felt like this consider this: Have you ever been in a large room with a single mosquito?
The picture of God’s church isn’t filled with a few spotlights.
It is a city full of little lights sat on a hill. That is to say that it isn’t just the ‘professionals’ or those with a platform. Thankfully we are on the downhill slope of the age of the celebrity christian. We have seen enough examples just in the last couple of years of why it is a bad idea to glorify these single celebrity Christians (Perry Noble, Mark Driscoll, John Crist, and more recently the Hillsong Pastors…and I could go on and on and on with this).
No...The picture of God’s church is every person reflecting the image of Jesus into the world through their actions, attitudes, acts of service and impact.
A single spotlight can easily be put out but you can’t hide a city set on a hill.
What if you were the only follower of Jesus in the city of Yelm? What if you were the only image of Jesus that the people of this city ever saw? Would your example, influence, attitude, and actions in every situation be showing the world what Jesus looks like?
I believe this is what the image of a a city set on a hill is all about. It is when every single believer imagines themselves in this scenario I just described and lives out the light of Jesus in every situation that we truly become a city set on a hill that provides light to the rest of our community. If we want The Outpost Church to truly be a church of influence that makes a big fat dent on Yelm for the kingdom of God then EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US has to see ourselves this way.
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.
In Jesus’ day there was no such thing as a lamp shade. Candles don’t put off much light as it is and so you wouldn’t want to hinder the light by putting something common like a basket over it.
Secondly, this goes back to what we talked about last week. Are our attitudes, actions, and responses to the darkness in this world actually in contrast with the world, or do we cover our light as we adopt attitudes consistent with the world?
Light provides direction in a world desperately seeking it.
Light warns of danger.
Light helps us interact with the world around us in a way that actually makes the world a better place as it reflects God’s kingdom rule and reign.
Finally we see the purpose behind this light.
“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.
Our lights are seen as we are working in His service and for His good pleasure.
-Do the free car bit…
I am convinced that the a lot more people would come to faith in Jesus if they could see him. Right…like if God could just rip open the clouds and reveal Himself to every person on earth it would make our jobs a lot easier right?!?
But He has never done that and I don’t think we should be holding our breath for it either.
No…instead He has done something that seems insane when you think about it. He has revealed himself to people even visibly. God has put his image on clear display through the people who have submitted to His rule and reign and live every aspect of their life for His service and for His good pleasure. God’s desire from the very beginning has been to partner with mankind in bringing blessing and hope into the world.
But this partnership also comes with a threat. This is how we are going to finish out today…cheery right…here is what it says.
“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.
“For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.
“Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
“For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
What in the world right...
Here is what I believe Jesus is saying here.
Jesus came bringing a message of grace and mercy. Jesus wants us to be aware, however, that this should not perpetuate a merely inward faith. Yes, Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophets (that is to love God and to love people fully and perfectly) and it is through His fulfillment that we are now able to fulfill the heart of the law as well.
It is about the heart behind the law (not merely a mechanical adherence but a whole-heart transformation). Remember Jesus at one point reduces the entire law and the writings of the prophets down to two commands: Love God with your whole being and love your neighbor as yourself.
This is what the Scribes and Pharisees were missing. Theirs was simply a mechanical and personal faith…they had failed to see themselves as God’s agents of contrast and picture of redemption in the world and had secluded themselves behind the thick veil of religion. They had become insular in order to remain unstained from the world.
I’ll give you a funny example: Do McDonald’s bit…
Just FYI that is not being salt and light…
I’ll give you a few examples of what this could look like though, and then tell you how we are going to create opportunities here at The Outpost Church for you to engage in all of these areas and more so that you can make an impact.
We are 200 yards from a skatepark that is frequented by over 100 DIFFERENT patrons every day. According to data provided from a ministry serving our particular skatepark, nearly half of those patrons fall somewhere on the homeless spectrum and have nobody bringing the message of hope in Jesus to them.
We have a significant homeless population in yelm but here is the good news… it is not so significant that it couldn’t be remedied by just a few churches stepping up.
A large portion of our town is military families. With roughly 1/3 of the overall base populace being deployed at any given time that means there are several families here with only one parent having to pull the weight of two. If you have been in that demographic you know how welcomed the community and help can be in that time.
We have a foster care and adoption crisis in our state where foster care needs have risen by nearly 20% and the number of available foster homes have dropped by over 40% in the past few years.
How about our elderly community that often gets neglected and left in isolation in group care facilities.
Or how about the rampant isolation and loneliness that was bad before CORONA but has been greatly exacerbated because of it. Experts say this amongst other contributing factors are at the root behind our anxiety and depression epidemic that have effects in many other areas as well.
How about our local arts, craftsmen, and businesses that have been dramatically impacted in this season.
I could go on and on and on…this is just the tip of the iceberg… i think you get the idea.
Knowing these areas of need are one thing but remember…if fail to engage in these areas then we have effectively covered our light and lost our saltiness…so here is how we are going to provide opportunities for you to engage in areas that God has placed a burden on your heart for.
$5 Sunday Graphic here
$5 Sunday bit
How are you being contrast in your community and relationships?
How are you being contrast in your community and relationships?
Close in prayer
