Hunger Mountain Christian Assembly
The Sermon on the Mount - Salt & Light
Matthew 5:13-16 (AMP)
13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
Introduction: Last Sunday, I began a new series for Sunday mornings on the "Sermon on the Mount," Matthew 5-7. This comes after Jesus returns from the desert where He was tempted by the devil. Jesus leaves the crowds and His disciples come to Him on the mount and He begins to teach them this "new manifesto" on the "principles of the Kingdom." Why didn't Jesus teach the crowds? Because crowds can never be faithful or be disciples. Jesus begins by teaching His disciples what has become to known as the "Beatitudes," Matt.5: 3-12. In this teaching, He declares what it will take for His disciples to live a "Blessed Life" as they submit themselves to Him and take on the "Character of the Kingdom." Today, I continue with Jesus' greatest discourse with His teaching on "Salt & Light."
Matthew 5:13 (AMP)
13 You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste (its strength, its quality), how can its saltiness be restored? It is not good for anything any longer but to be thrown out and trodden underfoot by men.
1. Jesus informs His disciples for the first time of just who they were and what that meant. They and we after them are the salt of the earth.
2. Salt is a seasoning, preserves, aseptic value, stays corruption.
3. This is who we are as followers of Christ. We bring the "influence of character of the Kingdom" to the world.
4. Salt can lose its saltiness (so can we if fail to press in to the Beatitudes) and then it (and we) becomes worthless and good for nothing.
Matthew 5:14-15 (AMP)
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.
1. Jesus tells His disciples and us that we are the "light of the world."
2. We are not to hide our light (our Christianity or our good deeds).
3. We are to give light (witness, testimony, and good deeds) to the whole world.
4. We are not to hide who we are or what we do.
Matthew 5:16 (AMP)
16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.
1. Don't be afraid to let people see what you do and give all the glory to God.
In practical terms what does it mean for us to be salt & light?
1. As salt, we will be distinctive (followers of Christ).
2. Salt preserves, it is up to us as followers of Christ to keep the world from corruption, to cleanse & disinfect.
3. Salt penetrates, and it is up to us to penetrate the world and our culture with the love of God, the truth of Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
4. As light, we are shining for God.
5. As light, we are to penetrate the darkness of the world.
6. As light, we are to enlighten the world about Christ and the truth of His Word.
7. As light, we are guides as to the way to go and on the right path.
8. As light, we help to strip away the darkness. John 3:19-20 (NKJV)
19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
9. Light will warn of the dangers on the path of life.
10. Light will protect us from losing our way in the dark and falling and hurting ourselves.
Conclusion: Jesus told His first disciples (and us) that they were the salt of the earth. He also told them that they were the light of the world. This includes those of us today that consider themselves to be His disciples. If we expect to influence the world, then we have to be salt & light. If we desire to be Christ like, then we must be salt & light. If we desire to have the character of Christ then we must be salt & light in our world, right where we are at and doing what we do. Salt & light, got some?
Close: Ephesians 5:8-14 (NKJV)
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."