Sunday PM - June 12, 2022 Light And The Kingdom
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 29:43
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Just before these words which were just read, we find the be attitudes. The blessings that seem backwards at times. A kingdom which belongs to the poor. Comfort found by those who are sad. This is ended in Matthew 5:11-12:
11 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
This statement leads right into Matt. 5:13 “13 “You are the salt of the earth...”
Salt is one of the most common substances on the earth and cannot be destroyed by fire or time. Also known as “white gold,” it is one of the most significant substances in history, along with iron, gold, and wheat. In ancient societies it was a valuable social and economic commodity. Salt was valued for its many uses, such as flavoring (Job 6:6), preserving, healing (Ezek 16:4), and destroying (Judg 9:45), common uses of salt to this day. It also served a in a worship function (Lev 2:13; Ezek 43:24 ) and was used in covenant making.
Flavoring:
My favorite example of salt flavoring is the cookie. Cookies are generally sweet but if you were to leave out salt it would taste flat. Salt also helps the bitter become less over powering. It can also help break down some molecules in foods bring out otherwise hidden flavors.
So as I think about these things I see that as salt we are to bring flavor to life.
Preserving:
The meat-packing, sausage-making, fish-curing, and food-processing industries use salt as a preservative or seasoning or both. It is employed for curing and preserving hides and as a brine for refrigeration.
There are other things that Salt does Flavoring and Preserving are the two aspects here I really want to focus on.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Again right before this Jesus says you a blessed when you are persecuted because of me for your reward will be great… Psalms 34 says try me taste what I offer. See that I will follow through with my promises and your rescue.
4 I sought the Lord, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
5 They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
8 O taste and see that the Lord is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
9 O fear the Lord, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
We are the salt not our words we are we are God’s hands and feet coming to the world to lend a hand. Be shoulders to cry on. Making the sweet sweeter and the bitter less over powering.
And to preserving, as salt not only do we have the ability flavor but the duty to preserve life by sharing what we have received. We should seek to know the gospel and our God so well, through reading and prayer that he is on our lips and the people around us know they can come to us to learn about and know the God who saves.
An important thing to remember about salt is that it comes from the earth, comes out of the earth. When it is collected as what we call salt it is then given a purpose. It purpose is not just to remain salt with all the other salt molecules. It is harvested and called to serve a function a purpose.
As I was thinking about the second part of what Jesus says Matt. 5:13 “... 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.” In truth salt can’t become less salty but if it did it would not be valued. It wouldn’t be able to serve its purpose. I start to image the our congregation can be something like a salt shaker. This is where we put our salt for it to be used. We gather not just to glorify God, we do that, but we need to be gathering to prepare ourselves for going out to face the world and bring the flavor of God to the lost. So that the world may taste and see that the Lord is Good. If we don’t do this we would be like this salt shaker clogged up unable to perform its task no matter how full it is, and like the tasteless salt Jesus mentions we would be thrown out. Part of how we do this is to stand firm against the evils of the world with Jesus keeping out eyes ever focused on the purposes for which he has gathered us.
If this were not enough, Jesus called is disciples even more...
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 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. 16 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.
Again let us think back to Matthew 5:11-12 “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
We are the light of the world why? Because we follow Jesus! If we were to hide that we follow Jesus, we do not show our light. Again like unused salt we are not performing our purpose for which we are called to be light. Shining to all not just to the household of faith but all.
I have often thought about Jesus’ and our light in this way...
4 We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.”
Then in...
46 I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.
Jesus is “THE” light of the world, and yet he calls those who follow him “the light of the world.” I have for many years thought of these words in this way, while Jesus was in the world he was the light, like the Sun in day time. When he left this earth He left behind lights to shine in the darkness, like the moon. We don’t truly have our own light but his light reflects off of us, and points those who seek to the source...
What is the true purpose of this light Jesus is calling us? Our light is to shine on the deeds of light we were created for.
10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Not like a spotlight from times past where they would shine a light into the sky to draw attention but point to God.
Later, in Matthew Jesus says a few things that might at first glance appear to contradict what Jesus is saying...
Matthew 6:1 (NASB95PARA)
1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
The problem is practicing righteousness “TO BE NOTICED”
Matthew 6:2–4 (NASB95PARA)
2 “So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
The problem here with giving is to receive honor from men in this life.
Matthew 6:5–6 (NASB95PARA)
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
The problem in their prayers was again a desire to be seen by men.
All these things are good but if the reason for the deed is personal glory and honor, it is meaningless. We were created for works and it should not be a surprise that we do them. We should practice righteousness, to point to God. We should give to the poor and the needy, to point to God. We can pray publicly or in private offering prayers for our friends and neighbors, to point to God.
We are:
Salt called out of the world by Jesus to:
bring flavor
preserve life
Light set on a hill to
use our deeds to point to the king
light the way for one another
light the way for the world
And all this is to give glory to our maker and creator.
Consider this throughout your week, how effective are you as salt if your saltiness is only known in this building or in your home? How effective is our light if we are only shining in private?
16 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.
If you have not answered the call to be salt, and light in this world. If you would like to join the salt and point the world to Jesus. Or if you are the salt and are feeling like you have lost your saltiness or you feel like you candle is burning dim or you have covered up your light. Fill out a card and hand it to an elder or come forward as we stand and sing.