Fulfilled: Salt and Light
Notes
Transcript
Handout
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Opening Discussion:
What role do we play as Christians in the larger society? What kind of influence should we have, and what kind of influence do we have?
How would our role in society be different in a nation where Christians face intense persecution?
Would you describe the world as a place that needs preservation from decay? Would you describe the world as a place of darkness that needs light? If yes, why?
How can we best address the issues of brokenness we see around us without pushing people away from the gospel?
1. You are
Not, “You should be” or even “Be”
Believers are in a position of influence whether we realize it or not
We are either functioning as the salt of the earth or the light of the world OR we are going against the very nature of what it means to be a follower of Jesus
Either, we won’t be able to sustain our non-influential state very long
OR, we aren’t truly followers of Jesus
Who was Jesus referring to?
You: nation of Israel? The church?
Most immediate audience was His disciples
The crowds also heard
The nation of Israel was designed and intended to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world
They never completely lived up to that calling, and Jesus established the church to fulfill what Israel did not
Collective you, y'all, which means we do this together
Warning: this is not automatic
We can’t just say, “We will be salt and light even if we don’t work to be salt and light.”
Like so much of the journey of following Jesus, this is a mystery
Yes, the church is the salt of the earth and the light of the world
Yes, we must work to make sure we keep the gospel central in order to preserve the world and shine light in the darkness
2. The Salt of the Earth
Salt’s value
“Worth his salt” came from Roman soldiers who were sometimes paid in salt
Sometimes, they were given credits with which they could buy salt, or salarium, which is where we get the word salary.
Salt’s preservative function
Salt kills bacteria in food
Without refrigeration, salt was the only way to preserve meat
In difficult times, no salt could result in starvation
Armies could not advance
Cities could not survive seige
Salt’s saltiness
Chemically speaking, salt cannot lose its saltiness
NaCl is salty, and nothing can change that
Most 1st century salt was contaminated with other substances that looked like salt
Either, use and time would result in the real salt dissolving, leaving only the non-salty salt lookalikes
Or, “salt” would be intentionally mixed with other substances to make the supply go further and would therefore be made less salty
What does it mean to be the salt of the earth?
God’s people play a preservative role
A little goes a long way; so it is with out corrective and preservative function and so it is with our power—we are small but impactful
Salt only functions when it is mixed in or applied to whatever it is seasoning/preserving; we cannot serve as preservatives of society if we withdraw from society
God’s people play a seasoning role in attracting others to the gospel with our way of life
Salt without saltiness is not helpful or accepted—it is thrown away;
5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
If we compromise those qualities which give us our preservative qualities in order to be accepted
We lose our value to society and are ironically discarded
How, then, can we keep our saltiness?
By being who we are! (make sure we are really “salt”)
By staying close to Jesus
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
3. The Light of the World
Are we the light of the world, or is Jesus the light of the world?
Yes
Jesus is the source of light
We are reflected lightJesus describes our “light shining” as our good deeds
Christ followers live in such a way that their good deeds are noticed
A city on a hill
Cities
A light on a stand
6:1 warns us against practicing our righteousness before other people to be seen by them
This is not a warning against doing good deeds in front of others
It is a warning about stealing the glory of God
Our intent in our good works must be to point to our Savior and our Father