Be Salt and Light

Matthew 5:13-16

“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. “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. “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.”

1. INTRODUCTION

a. We might be thinking what does this have to do with marriage? This message is just a reminder to not only David and Danielle but to every Christian regarding the purpose of the believer. Through every aspect of our lives, we must be men and women who win souls of Christ.

b. And there is nothing more wonderful for us to find the person that God has blessed us with so that we can accomplish that purpose. When we were in kindergarten, we were taught that two minds were always better than one. Well, two minds are better to win souls than one. This is why God has granted us the gift of marriage.

c. A marriage is the clearest expression of God’s grace to mankind. It helps us to see and to know that God is with us through our spouses. It is a constant reminder that we were called to a higher calling. Our text today is no different. Jesus tells us that in order for us to glorify God not simply through our marriages, but with our lives, we must first know two things. We must know our identity in Christ so that we can live as a testimony for Christ.

2. BODY

a. Know your identity in Christ (5:13-15)

i. The Sermon on the Mount starts in Chapter 5 and lays out what salvation is. The Sermon on the Mount details to us our bankruptcy and our need for salvation. 5:1-12 tells us that apart from the work of God, we would not be able to understand what Jesus spoke of in the previous 12 verses. Therefore, the purpose of the Sermon on the Mount is to reveal to us our bankruptcy and apart from the work of God in our lives, we would not be able to achieve this.

ii. So here in verse 13, Jesus starts by telling his listeners that they are salt of the earth. Jesus is apparently thinking of the function of salt as a preservative, as the enemy of decay, and as giving taste to food. When we think about what Jesus is saying, once you have been saved, you are to live as those who have been saved.

iii. Now the next part is important. When Jesus speaks about salt losing its flavor and being useless, Jesus speaks of the Christian who is no different than the unbelieving world. The gift of salvation is to call us from the world and set us apart from the world. That is the purpose of salvation. It is to cause us to be different than everyone else in the world. So just as salt is useless if it loses its flavor, Christians are useless if they lose their testimony.

iv. You see a person’s conviction and proclamation is validated by their actions. Salvation is not merely an inward work, but it also in Jesus’ teaching tells us that there must be an outward work. What does this mean? Christians like salt are to be an antiseptic in the world, to slow the decay. Christians make the world a better place not by involving themselves and preaching politics or ethics or anything else. Christians make the world a better place simply by being Christian and living the Christian life. Our influence is not in our politics. Our influence in the world comes from our preaching of the Gospel and proclamation of the Lord Jesus Christ.

v. Not only are Christians salt, Jesus says in verse 14 that you are the light of the world. This is important because again, Jesus makes a statement about the Christian’s identity. What is clear from these two statements from Christ is that the world is rotting and in darkness. This is why Jesus tells His listeners that they are to act as salt to slow the deterioration and secondly, to be light because the world is dark.

vi. What’s important here from Jesus’s words, in verse 13, earth and in verse 14, world, it signifies that this job that Jesus is pronouncing is no simple task. You see, Jesus is saying everywhere you go, everything you do, this is your task. You must live in light of the salvation, your new identity in Christ.

b. Live as a testimony for Christ (5:16)

i. Verse 13-15 were reminders that all Christians are to understand their position and identity in Christ. But in light of that position and identity, Jesus calls His followers to let your light shine. Jesus calls for action here. Your light is, of course, a borrowed light. It is because they have received light from Jesus that the disciples can shine in the world.

ii. Jesus makes it clear that they must shine their light so that all who see them, will see their good works. But this was not meant to be for them. Rather, Jesus says, that our good works should be seen so that they would glorify your Father who is in Heaven.

iii. These good works are different than any good work that we do. Jesus makes it clear later in Matthew 6:1 that the pharisees did good works so that they would receive the praise. Our good works should never bring us praise. Rather it should point others to God. All our good works, everything we do or have, should reflect the grace of God on our lives. This is what it meant to shine your light before men. It is not so that we could receive the praise but that God would receive the praise.

iv. This is important to remember in our marriages. This is much easier to achieve to those outside of our home. But it’s much harder for our spouse because they know everything about us. They are with us all the time which is why this makes this passage that much more applicable. Living as a testimony for Christ must start at home first. If we can’t do that at home with the ones we love, we will never be able to do this with those outside.

3. CONCLUSION