Matthew 5:13–16 ESV

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.

Salt and light are essential for all animal life.Salt and light have many purposes. I will not highlight them at this point. Both pastor Jim and I have spoken regarding the importance of salt.

Salt preserves

Salt seasons

Salt is distinctive

Salt spreads

Salt is pure

Salt is not sugar

Salt Preserves – it keeps meat from spoiling or decaying. We are to keep the earth from decaying. We preserve the world from being destroyed.When we get taken out of the world the judgment comes.

We must preserve the truth. Our prayers can protect others! We cannot sit idly by when we see things going wrong and say it's up to somebody else to fix it.

We are to preserve righteousness wherever it exists.

Salt Seasons – salt it makes things better

Think of food without salt

See how Joseph made those around him better

Everything we are involved with should get better! Why? What the Psalms 1:3 say? Whatever he does prospers!

Salt Is Distinctive – there ain't nothing else like it!

There is no one else like you having the power of God to do a specific thing in the earth.

If you do not share what gift God has given you the world will be lacking what God created you for in this generation.

You are distinctive!

Salt Spreads – a little salt changes the taste of everything it touches.

If you are involved in something you always make it better!

Salt Is Pure –the Jews use it in their sacrifices

We should be pure in our living. Not contaminated with rubbish or dirt.

We should be in all things

Honest

Fair

Just

We should not make decisions based upon favoritism

We should be pure in

Speech

Thought

Actions

We should help those around us remain pure

salt is used to keep impurities out of the water at home

people should have respect not to say, do or be certain ways around us

Salt Is Not Sugar.

Don't sugarcoat the word of God

Tell the word of God like it is

Light

penetrates the darkness

enlightens

reveals

guides

notice the Christ said we are the light of the world not just like in the church

light should shine so the blind men may see!

Review our previous messages on the subject at our YouTube channel the GLCtv, or Google the necessity of salt and light for life, if you desire more information.

Christ was saying,we are what is good in this world. You are of supreme importance to him compared to every other thing he’s created!

You may not be rich, you may not be famous, you may not even think of yourself as much, you may be rejected by the world and condemned by your own family. But to him you are the salt of the earth you are the light of the world. The world does not realize how blessed it is to have you in it.

Without light, we would be in darkness and life would not be as productive as it is.

Now, let us become awake to what Christ has called us. Salt and light. Two essential items necessary for life.

Think about that once again. Christ has called us, salt and light. Both are essential for life.

You are more important than you know you are!

What does this mean? Think about it. The creator of the universe has called you salt of the earth and light of the world. If salt and light are essential for human life to exist,the earth and this world exist because of you. Your existence is what is keeping the earth and this world in existence. Otherwise, God would destroy this world.

If and when the Church is taken out of the world, the earth and the world system will cease to exist. You know from what I have talked to you in the past. What does the scripture say regarding the rapture?

You are more important than you know you are!

When the church is removed, there will be total destruction of this earth and this world by fire. This cannot happen while the church is in the world!

The fact that salt is a preservative means that you are the preservative that is hindering the destruction of this world by the wrath of an angry God!

The fact that light gives illumination means that as your light shines you give life to others. Your living reveals eternal life to other human beings. They cannot know life unless you let your light shine.

Understanding salt and light to the earth and world, you have to realize not only are you to think about heaven, but you are also to think about your importance to the people of this world. When Jesus was in the world his mission was to the Jews. Your mission is to all of mankind, the world over!.

You are more important than you know you are!

Another point I want to show you is that Christ didn’t say you should be salt, or you should be light, He commanded, you are! And, as a city on a hill cannot be hidden, your presence in this world is observed by the world. Your light always shines noticeably in this dark world.

You are what preserves this world and illuminates’ truth to the world. Without you, again this world would cease to exist.

It is by your presence in the earth that God gives grace to the earth and not destroy it immediately because of its rebellion.

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

It is through your light that God gives revelation to the world.Without your light all mankind would be lost.

God has called you salt and light because that’s what you are, but he goes on to say that salt can lose its savor and the light can be hid. 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. And, if you hide your light, you put the Lord your God to a test and his judgment will fall upon you for abandoning the human beings he sent you to minister to.

You are more important than you know you are!

Your Faith Means Salvation to the World

Genesis 6:5–8 ESV

5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah was a type of salt and light in the time he lived. The Lord had planned for the destruction of the world, but because of Noah he refused to destroy it with Noah in it.

Now I want you to think. What happened after he removed Noah?

Consider again: When were the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed?

Genesis 19:15–22 ESV

15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” 16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” 18 And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords. 19 Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. 20 Behold, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there—is it not a little one?—and my life will be saved!” 21 He said to him, “Behold, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken. 22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.

Lot was salt and light at the time in which he lived. The Lord had planned for the destruction of the world, but because of Lot, he refused to destroy it with Lotin it.

You are more important than you know you are!

Think about this? What does Abraham reveal to us?

Genesis 18:32–33 ESV

32 Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” 33 And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

It is the righteous in a place that preserves it. Why? Because the righteous are salt and light preserving and illuminating the proper way of life.

Look at multiple biblical characters. Wherever they were they served as salt and light preserving and illuminating a better way of life.

David when he fought Goliath

Esther when she went before the king

Jonah when he went to Nineveh

Joseph when he was in pharaoh’s court

These are just a few. There are many more!

You are more important than you know you are!

When God takes you out of the world, all hell will break loose!

2 Thessalonians 2:7 ESV

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.

The Holy Spirit dwells within you and it is he who is restraining wickedness and lawlessness from taking over the world today and the antichrist being revealed.

Let Go Of Who You Are And Become All Of What God Has Called You To Be

Matthew 16:24–26 ESV

24 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?

To be of great value to God, He must have full authority over your life. You have to surrender to Him and not your fear of the world. You must die to yourself!

John 12:24–26 ESV

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.

All of us have a natural inclination to be concerned about self. Self wants to rule and be in charge. Self wants to have its own way. To the extent that self is alive in you Christ cannot reign over you and cause you to be more than who you are now. You must die to self to be of greater value to God.

You must deny yourself if you’re going to become all God created you to be. Listen to what Paul said regarding himself

Romans 7:21–25 ESV

21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Though you will give up yourself and all this world has to offerto honor God instead, you will gain so much more.

Luke 18:28–30 ESV

28 And Peter said, “See, we have left our homes and followed you.” 29 And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times more in this time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

God removes the less in order to ring out the best.

Remember Job? He suffered the loss of everything, including his health. But what was the end result?

Job 42:10 ESV

10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Paul was willing to give up all of what the world could offer him because he understood how much more wonderfully blessed, he could be if he just denied the cheapness of charms of this world and be what God called him to be, salt and light!

Philippians 3:7–14 ESV

7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. 13 Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

All the people of the world are precious in the eyes of God, but what is precious in the eyes of God are hated and despised in the eyes of Man. The world always wants to do opposite of what God desires for our own good.

Jesus Nor His Followers Are Welcome In This World, This Means You

When Jesus was born into the world, the world made no place for him; For there was no room in the inn.

When Jesus left this world by them crucifying him, they hung him up between heaven and earth on a tree as if to say, “ We don’t want you have any part of this world!”

Now if the world will hate the Lord of the universe so that he is not welcome on earth, how much more so will the world hate you because you have submitted to him as your Lord?

John 15:18–24 ESV

18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father.

The world will hate us because of Christ. Actually, this is the highest honor that they can bestow upon us. When the world hates us because they can see Christ in us and will persecute us because of Christ; Wow blessed we will be!

Remember what Paul said in verse 10 above Philippians 3: 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

What happened to Jesus when he denied himself and allowed the world to reject him?

Hebrews 12:2–3 ESV

2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.

Now, even though the children of God are in the world preserving and protecting it, they are not received by the world either because they are not a part of it. They are part of the Kingdom of God!

Your Great Reward for Being Salt and Light

Then Jesus said:

Matthew 5:10–12 ESV

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

We must learn not to fear the world because we have not been given a spirit of fear. We must see things with a sound mind. The world will try us, the world will attack us, but God will deliver us!

Psalm 34:19 ESV

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.

It’s time we as a church realize who we really are. Just as Christ said about us..

Matthew 5:13–16 ESV

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.

You are more important than you know you are!

You Are More Important Than You Know You ARE!

You are the salt of the earth and light of the world, so rise and become all God created you to be!