Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Humans have always been fascinated by powerful things - whether it be large animals, powerful soldiers, violent storms, or complex creations - we have an eye for the dramatic and dynamic.

In ancient Rome the Romans were recognized around much of the known world for their ingenuity as they created massive roads for transportation and ginormous aqueducts to move water from mountain springs to large cities miles and miles away.

In the middle ages many European kings and leaders began to construct massive castles and cathedrals to protect themselves and worship God - many of these castles and cathedrals remain in tact to this day and have fascinated humans ever since.

As the middle ages gave way to the industrial age yet another change transpired as something revolutionary entered the playing field: electricity.

Electricity changed the game as workers weren’t restricted to working whenever it was bright outside, now they could have light in a large building at midnight and continue working.

Families could have heat during cold winter evenings.

Electricity has changed our world in numerous ways and it continues to do so to this second.

Consider, what has powered all of these things throughout the centuries?

What powered the creation of Roman highways and aqueducts?

Workers used concrete from volcanic ash and lime to build these things.

Castles and Cathedrals required workers to use similar materials to build these massive and beautiful structures.

Think about electricity, though.

What powers electricity?

Not a singular structure or builder but a factory or plant that’s purpose is to produce electric energy.

Electricity is extremely powerful in part because the thing that produces it is extremely powerful.

How many of you have ever been to New York City or at least seen a picture/video of Times Square?

Times Square is massive and encompasses over 5 blocks of some of the busiest parts of New York City.

While there are lots of places someone can go at Times Square, one of the attractions to the area is simply the lights and billboards seemingly everywhere you look.

At its peak, Times Square consumes over 161 megawatts of power at any one time… Now to put that into scale, that is enough energy to power over 161,000 homes or ~ over 100 “Salem’s” - that’s a lot of power in one place at any one time to power up all of those lights!

That much power requires a whole lot of work to get the electricity to that place.

In the city that never sleeps, Times Square stands out as a city of light.

We live in a world that never stops and we read in Scripture that Jesus calls us to be light.

As we began studying last week, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount gives practical instruction and helpful promises to God’s children.

Maybe you’re here this morning in person or online and you think that what Jesus is asking you to do is impossible or impractical.

You look around the world or you look at a situation you’re facing and you think that you have no hope because you lack the power to accomplish what needs to get accomplished.

If that is you today, friend, remember this: You don’t win the world to Christ by looking like the world - you win the world to Christ by being different than the world.

Our responsibility as followers of Jesus is to be a billboard of light pointing people to Jesus Christ!

We are called to be eternal lights in temporary darkness as we warn others about the reality of eternity to come and as we encourage them to get connected to the greatest power source of all: Jesus Christ.

Are you connected to Jesus today?

Has His resurrection power change your life and ignited your light?

Let’s read what comes next in the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus issues a call for His followers

Be Salt in a World that is in Decay (13)

Jesus opens up this second section of His Sermon with a declarative statement: You are the salt of the earth.

Notice, He doesn’t say to be salt as though it were an option for Christians to be salt or not be salt - rather Jesus gives us the truth that we all need to know!

If you are a Christian this morning, you are salt!

You stand out naturally not because of yourself but because of Whose you are!

Now, what was the big deal about salt 2,000 years ago?

Salt provided several key functions in society as it kept things pure, allowed things to preserved for long periods of time, added flavor to mundane food, and served as a healing ingredient.

Salt was extremely valuable and while it blows our mind today, pure salt in the 6th century was traded ounce for ounce for Gold.

Salt was a big deal!

So why does Jesus call His followers to first be salt?

First, just as salt must be pure to do its job, Christians must be pure.

We read this last week in Matthew 5:8

Christians are pure in heart - not because of our inherent goodness and purity, but instead its because of Christ’s power in our lives.

We are called to let Christ’s presence inside of us change the way that we live on the outside.

We are expected to think, act, and speak differently as Christians because we are pure in heart.

Salt that was pure was extremely useful and valuable - Christians are called pure in heart, meaning that Christians are extremely useful and valuable to God and Christ expects us to be even more valuable than salt in the world around us.

Salt does more than simply purify things, it also preserves them.

Salt could help meat stay good much longer than it would’ve been able to otherwise.

This enabled farmers to make more money in the market with this beef and pork.

Salt fought off decay.

Christ calls His followers to be salt in part because salt fights off natural elements such as decay.

We know that our world is in decay right now and that its dying.

We see this on the news with natural conditions on the decline but we also see it on a broader scale with humanity… We are to be agents of purification and preservation for our God in a world that is dying and in decline.

This is the task before us and its only possible by allowing Christ’s power to work through us.

But what if we fail to do this?

What if we fail to provide the benefits of salt to our society?

Jesus answers this in verse 13 as He says that tasteless salt is useless.

It’s good for nothing except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

How many of you play the 5 second rule whenever something falls on the ground?

It probably depends on where you’re at, right?

Why do we play that game?

Because we tell ourselves that if something just barely touches a dirty surface it’s probably ok… But what if something is on a dirty surface for a prolonged amount of time?

There’s no way you’re going to think about eating it!

Think about our lives as Christians.

Even though we have been saved by Christ and transformed by His power, we live in a world of decay and we are tempted to go back to our previous way of living.

To go with the flow.

To be contaminated by the dirty surface around us.

Yet, Jesus provides another way for us.

Whenever Jesus lived He interacted with the sick both physically and spiritually often.

In the Old Testament times, some people were considered unclean and to touch them would then make you unclean.

This is like a french fry touching the dirty McDonalds floor.

The moment it touches that floor whether you admit it or not, it’s dirty!

Yet, we see Jesus in His ministry interact with dirty people and instead of them making Him dirty and unclean, we see His goodness and holiness make them clean!

We see that Jesus reverses the natural cycle of our world specifically in relation to sin and death.

Jesus flavors those He touches and He calls on His followers to do the same - He simply says that we are the salt of the earth.

Look at what Paul says about this idea in Romans 6 as he answers an objection about remaining in our sin

What are we to do? Be salt.

We have been changed from the inside out by Christ and we are presently filled with His Spirit today.

Therefore, we are to be agents of change in our world of decay.

We are to be a moral disinfectant in a society whose standards are getting lower by the day.

The only way we can do this is to first be filled with Christ.

Be Light in a World that is in Darkness (14-16)

So, first, we read that we are salt in a world of decay and next we read that we are light in a world that is dark.

Light is extremely powerful and it’s also extremely fast.

Do you know what the speed of light is?

It would get pulled over on I44 as it’s 186,282 Miles/Second.

Just as electricity is powerful, we know that light is powerful and it has played a very important part in the history of the church.

Whenever electricity was being installed around the world, one of the first places in towns that would receive electricity was the local church.

Why do you think this was the case?

Because the church was the center of the community.

It was where people gathered and also enabled people to gather outside of the typical Sunday morning time.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:14 that a city on a hill cannot be hidden - light is powerful and light is visible.

Think of some of the things that light can do

Light serves as a warning

For those who are driving, a stop light serves as a warning that something is about to change.

Light serves as a guide

They help us see where we are going - a light helps you not stub your toe when you walk to the bathroom.

Light serves as a symbol of hope