Sermon Tone Analysis

Consider an interview a Christian leader had with a reporter in 2018.

The reporter asked why so many Christians were willing to support political candidates who revel in disobeying Jesus’ teachings.

“I think they are finally glad that there’s somebody on the playground that is willing to punch the bully,” the Christian leader replied.

“What happened to turning the other cheek?” the reporter asked, referring to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount about nonretaliation.

“You know, you only have two cheeks,” the Christian replied.

Still, the Christian leader’s point is revealing.

He apparently thinks Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount are to be followed up to a point.

Once important things are at risk, like political power, it’s okay to ignore Jesus’ commands.

I call this the “Only Two Cheeks” excuse, and it’s one I’ve heard a lot.

Skye Jethani, What If Jesus Was Serious?: A Visual Guide to the Teachings of Jesus We Love to Ignore, Moody, 2020.

This week we will dig in to this idea of Christians in the public arena.

We will be in the Sermon on the Mount in a passage that we have all probably heard many times, but I think speaks particularly well to what we, as followers of Jesus, should look like in any public arena, but especially if we are in any leadership position, and how we should live in order to fulfill the great commission.

Let’s think for a minute what a picture of the saved life might look like.

In August, we will spend several weeks in the Beatitudes, which will help to complete the picture that I start to paint today.

The last beatitude is a great foundation for this picture, one who hungers and thirsts after righteousness.

A saved person is The Supremely Blessed person which Christ is describing throughout the Beatitudes.

His or her life has been changed by the Gospel, and the fruit of that change is found within the beatitudes.

Hatred is the natural response of people who have no affection for Christ when they are confronted by His truth.

And since believers are called to be ambassadors for Christ, we are often the objects of this hatred.

This is seen often in the media and probably through many other examples in our everyday lives.

Christians speak out on the truths of the word, and they are immediately vilified by those who have no affection for God or His Word.

It seems those who speak against God can say anything they desire without little consequence; however, those who speak for God and His Word are called bigoted, narrow minded, hateful and ignorant.

This is the world we are living in; a world greatly opposed to our God.

And friends, I fear it is only going to continue to get worse.

If you’ve read in your Bible, we know this to be true before the return of Christ.

So, what are we to do? Do we retreat to the monasteries or the wooded communes to avoid this world?

Sometimes that may seem to be a nice thought... to totally divorce ourselves from this world.

To leave the world and simply live as believers with other believers.

But is this the call that believers have from Christ?

To run from the world?

NO, IT IS NOT!!!

In fact, the very next words of Christ after the Beatitudes are a call to be influential in this world.

We are not to hide; in fact, quite the opposite.

We are supposed to influence this world!

We are going to see today that Christ moves from His beatitudes to a very specific message of urgency for His apostles (and by extension all His followers).

We are to be Agents of Change in this world.

If you have your Bibles, please turn with me to:

Now you may ask why I read that in two different versions.

I think that the Message version leads us to think about why the illustrations of salt and light would convey this important message from Jesus in His day.

Salt and light were ideas that would convey a certain level of importance in that day.

1) Salt

Let’s look back at verse (13).

“You are the salt of the earth.

But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

You must take this into context, and you must understand the importance of salt in the ancient world at the time.

They had no refrigeration, so they never had a freezer full of food that they would grab something from.

Salt was of infinite value because it did two things; it was a preservative and it was a flavoring.

Kings actually store-housed salt and at one time was used as money for exchange of goods.

Salt, to be potent, must be mixed with the material it needs to either give taste or conserve.

Because of primitive mining of salt, salt was sometimes impure and lost its saltiness.

It was then thrown out and used as a hardener for sidewalks.

So, what does Jesus want to tell us when He calls us to be the salt of the earth?

First, he is talking to all of us that profess Christ as Lord and proclaim to be followers of Christ.

“You are the salt of the earth” Who does you refer to?

Of course, He is referring to His disciples, and to the crowd that was there with Him.

He is telling us to be preservatives.

We are to make an impact with those we come into contact with.

We are to be an influence to people.

Salt had to be rubbed into the meat so that it would prevent decay.

Becoming part of the meat and keeping it from being spoiled.

We are to do that.

Christianity- Christ-followers must make a positive effect on the world.

Most colleges started in the USA were started by Christians, hospitals, Red Cross, orphanages, also started by Christians.

You can never make an influence if you never make contact.

Fellowship is such an important part of being a Christ-follower – with the body of believers, but also with those who need Christ and His salvation in their lives.

Have you ever gotten salt in an open wound?

Stings!

Irritates.

Have you ever been around Christians that the only way they get involved in your life is to tell you all the things you are doing wrong?

Even what they say may be true; they will not connect and build community because they are not making a positive connection.

Jesus says as followers of Christ we can change the world, change circumstances, change situations, but it will come as we are pure salt with pure motives.

Because of impure mining procedures, salt lost its worth and it was thrown on the ground and walked on.

Pure salt will do what it was created to do- preserve and flavor.

When people look at you and your life, are they saying you are the real deal?

Inconsistent lifestyle rebels people from the church.

Does your walk draw people toward God or away from God? How many times have you heard – “If that is what a Christian looks like, I don’t want any part of it.”

How many times have you heard someone say that they are Christian and do things that they know is wrong?

Illustration-

As preacher was building a wooden trellis to support a climbing vine, he was pounding away; he noticed a little boy was watching him.

The youngster did not say a word, so the preacher kept on working, thinking the boy would leave, but he didn’t.

Pleased at the thought that his work was being admired, the pastor finally said, are you trying to pick up some pointers on gardening?

No, said the little boy, just waiting to hear what a preacher says when he smashes his thumb with a hammer.

We are always influencing someone- positive or negative.

If your influence was to wait for us to become perfection, none of us would be able to do anything for God.

Listen to some quotes about salt and see how that can influence the way that you connect to people.

“Neither sugar or salt taste particularly good by itself.

Each is at its best when used to season something else.”

“Nobody likes salt rubbed into their wounds, even if it is the salt of the earth.”

It is not about perfection, it is about obedience.

We are called by God to be authentic, to be the real deal.

We cannot allow the impurities of the world to affect our usefulness in the kingdom of God.

We cannot be an irritant for the sake of just irritating, but allow those around us to become thirsty for the things of God.

Remember the story of Lot’s wife- she became a pillar of salt because she wanted to be a part of the world.

She looked back and wanted the world more than escaping.

We are not to be pillars of salt, but emphatically told by Jesus to be salt of the earth.

Our church sign, our Facebook, our website tells people who we are.

People pass by that sign or see us on Facebook or our website every day.

Most will never step foot in these doors, but if we had an inappropriate saying on one of those, the ones that would never step in now would have ammunition to use because we are held to a higher standard.

We are supposed to be the salt of the earth.