All right, good evening. Would you open your Bible,
please, to the book of Matthew in the New Testament in chapter
5, We'll pick up where we left off after breaking last week for
Mother's Day. The title of tonight's message,
salt and light, very familiar verses for us.
And then as a sub heading restored to restore Matthew 5,
verses 13 through to 16, we're in what is called the Sermon on
the Mount, probably the most famous sermon ever in the
history of humanity. The crowd, you could picture
them gathered there in the Galilee region, some thousands
in number, specifically the disciples of the audience.
But there are multitudes who are overhearing this and then by
application it is to anyone who is a citizen of the Kingdom of
heaven that Jesus has been teaching and preaching.
Now we get to these words in Matthew 5.
We had a look at the beatitudes last week last time.
Now we find Matthew 5 verse 13 and Jesus says you are the salt
of the earth. But if the salt loses its
flavour, how shall it be seasoned?
It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled
under foot by men. You are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden around that
region. In the Galilee, there's a number
of cities that are on these sort of mountainous areas.
Typically the limestone walls and roofs and structures by by
night time would be lit up with the sun.
But certainly at night time it's it's hard to miss for those of
us that have been in a tour of that Galilee region.
Even the cities that are there today, you have to be blind
Freddie to miss them. City on a hill cannot be hidden,
verse 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket,
but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the
house. Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in
heaven. This is God's word.
Let's pray again, Father, we with heads bowed and eyes
closed, Now we gather in this holy sacred moment to hear from
you. We pray and ask that you would
remove any thoughts that might distract us, that we would be
able to devote our attention to what it is that you have in your
word for us tonight. That Holy Spirit, you would make
it apparent and clear to us that we would be able to live this
out and apply it and enjoy the blessing and the privilege being
a part of what you've called us to in Jesus name, Amen.
So we've been thinking as we've been travelling through this
Gospel of Matthew about Matthew's purpose for his
audience, the Jewish readers of this.
And it is all about pointing out that this Jesus of Nazareth is
the fulfilment of the promise that he was all the way back in
the garden promised by God to Adam and to Eve that he would be
the seed that would overcome and reverse the curse.
And then on later in Genesis, Abraham, that out of his
descendants would come seed through which humanity would be
saved. And then on through the promises
to the people of Israel under various prophets and under
various kings. And now there's Jesus of
Nazareth is the Messiah, is the promised one.
This is all the way through Matthew's declaration, Matthew
chapter one. We saw that Matthew chapter 2.
We saw that chapter 3 and then Jesus has picked up where John
the Baptist left off and he's been preaching of repentance for
the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.
And now with Matthew 5 here before us and this crowd
gathered, Jesus is giving the Kingdom manifesto.
Here is what it looks like to be a citizen of the Kingdom of
heaven that he has been preaching and teaching about
that once repentance leads you to it.
Now this is what the the character and conduct of the
citizens of the Kingdom of heaven will be like.
And he says you are the salt of the earth.
You are the light of the world. And this is not just a religious
tale here. These are not just some wise
words that Jesus is declaring. It is a completion of the great
story that God has been revealing to humanity.
It runs its course all through the Scriptures.
And we're going to read a number of passages at the beginning of
this message tonight, and I'll ask you to turn there in in a
moment. You see at the heart of this
story is a loving creation and then of a fallen humanity of
Adam and Eve resisting and rebelling against God and then
of God bringing about his redemptive plan and then
ultimately restoration of humanity and a holy righteous
God being forever combined together, enjoying that union
once more that was broken in the garden.
And right from the beginning in the Beatitudes, Jesus shows us
this, we learnt last time, is that God helps those who cannot
help themselves. And so he says, blessed are the
poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn.
Blessed are the meek. Not blessed are the powerful,
not blessed are the self sufficient, not blessed are the
the knowledgeable or those that have it all together.
Blessed are the broken, the needy, the unexpected, and the
undeserving. That's where we're at.
That's what we've been looking at.
And Jesus says to them and to you and I tonight, blessed are
you or how happy are you literally is what blessed means.
And this is the wonder of gracious redemption.
And we saw the example from the Old Testament of the people of
Israel, but all the way back under the Old Covenant that God
had picked Israel not because they were a glorious people, not
because they were numerous in number, not because they had
anything in their possession that God wanted or needed or
desired, but because of God's grace.
He picked them. Deuteronomy 7 verse 7 tells us
that He chose them precisely because they were the fewest of
all peoples. And then Moses, having this
message from God, reminds the people that unless you get all
puffed up and think that you're pretty special because God chose
you, remember you are a stiff necked people.
You spoke to them. And over and over the Bible
tells us that God delights to show grace to the unexpected and
the undeserving. That's often where people stop
in the understanding of the story.
Redemption, you see, is not the end of the storyline.
Restoration is. Restoration follows.
And in Jesus, God does not just redeem us from the penalty and
power of sin, but that is true, and that is very real.
But then he begins the process of restoring us and the world
around us back to the intended state before the brokenness of
sin entered. And yes, the ultimate fulfilment
of this is in the future when Christ returns and makes old
things new. But that restoration has already
begun in the lives of his people, you and I.
So let me show you this pattern clearly in Scripture so we
understand what Jesus is teaching in our text to us
tonight. So flick with me in your Bible
back to the very first book in the Bible, the book of Genesis.
In Chapter 1 we see creation. In Genesis one verse 26 to 28
and then God said, let us, it's trinitarian language.
Let us make man in our image according to our likeness, and
let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds
of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over
every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God.
He created him, male and female. He created them.
And then look at this. Then God blessed them, and God
said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and
subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of
the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing
that moves on the earth. From the beginning, in this
loving, glorious creation, God placed humanity into the earth
to have dominion, to Co rule, to partner with God in his goodness
throughout the earth. Be fruitful and multiply.
And he He pronounced this blessing over humanity, male and
female, adamant and Eve. But then there is the fall.
Moving ahead to Genesis chapter 3.
You know the story, but we'll read these verses, specifically
verse 17 to 19. The result, the consequence of
the rebellion of Adam and Eve against God's word.
Then to Adam, he said, this is God because you have heeded the
voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I
commanded you, saying you shall not eat of it.
Cursed is the ground for your sake in toil you shall eat of it
all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it
shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the
field in the sweat of your face. You shall eat bread till you
return to the ground, for out of it you were taken.
For dust you are, and to dust you shall return and sin.
The rebellion of Adam and Eve against a holy, righteous God
brings a curse. We've just read of it.
Hardship to come upon this world and this earth.
And we experienced that today. The toil of our labour, the
frustration, the angst, the tension of living in this world
in which we find ourselves. By the sweat of your face, God
said you shall eat bread. Oh, we know it.
Monday is here before we know it for many of us, until you return
to the ground, alienation from God and ultimately death.
But look, jump ahead. We're studying Exodus now.
Move into Exodus chapter 19 as we start to see the fulfilment
of God's promises and plans that He gave to Abraham and then on
to his descendants as they're exiting out of Egypt and into
the promised land. And after centuries of slavery,
God dramatically rescues Israel, His chosen people.
Verse one, Exodus 19, In the third month, after the children
of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day
they came to the wilderness of Sinai, for they had departed
from Refadim and come to the wilderness of Sinai and camped
in the wilderness. So Israel camped there before
the mountain, and Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to
him from the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the House
of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel, You have seen what I
did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagle's wings and
brought you to myself. God did for them what they could
never do, nor hope to do or achieve for themselves.
God helps those who cannot help themselves.
He did it back then for the people of Israel, and this is
indicative of His restorative plan for all of humanity before
we read on of what it is that God had planned for the people
of Israel to be fulfilling, having chosen them, verses 5 and
6, God's purpose for them is revealed now.
Therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice, keep My covenant,
then you shall be a special treasure to Me.
Above all people. The earth is mine, and look at
what thou ought to be. You shall be to Me a Kingdom of
priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you
shall speak to the children of Israel.
So the idea is that God chose the people of Israel and they
were to be His representatives, His priests on earth, to reveal
to the rest of humanity what life is like to be lived, loving
the Lord, worshipping him, honouring him.
And in so doing they to be a point of attraction to to
people, to the surrounding nations, particularly to come
and find out who this great God of Israel is that they worship,
that they honour. You know the story that they
failed continually again and again and again in that, in that
restoration representing him to the world, extending his rule to
the nations and move ahead in your Bible to Isaiah 61.
For this is what Jesus is now preaching and declaring to the
people gathered as He has been speaking and preaching of
repent. For the Kingdom of heaven is at
hand. And remember in Luke chapter 4
when he stood up in the synagogue and read these very
words out of Isaiah 61. This is now this same beautiful
pattern that Jesus is quoting at the launch of his ministry and
that He is revealing to those who are His followers, to those
who are citizens of the Kingdom of heaven.
Isaiah 61 verse one. The Spirit of the Lord God is
upon me because the Lord has anointed me to what?
To preach good tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to heal the broken hearted beatitudes, to
proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to
those who are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
The day of vengeance of our God to comfort all whom on to
console those who mourn in Zion to give them I love this beauty
for ashes, oil of joy for mourning the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness that the result they may be called
trees of righteousness. The planting of the Lord.
He may be glorified. You're going to see so many
similarities to what we look at in Matthew 5 out of this.
And now look at this. Isaiah 61.
Four to six shifts to restoration.
They shall rebuild the old ruins, They shall raise up the
former desolations. They shall repair the ruined
cities, the desolations of many generations.
Verse 5. Strangers shall stand and feed
your flocks, and the sons of the foreigner shall be your
ploughman and your vine dresses. But look, verse 6, you shall be
named the priests of the Lord, they shall call you the servants
of our God. You shall eat the riches of the
Gentiles, and in their glory you shall boast.
And then the New Testament takes up this language and applies
this directly to us, taking from Jesus now in the Sermon on the
Mountain, building on it into other passages, applying this
directly to you and I as the church, as God's representatives
here on earth in one Peter chapter 2, verses 9:00 to 12:00.
But you are a chosen race. Oh, does that not sound similar?
A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own
possession. Why?
So that you may proclaim the excellence of him who has called
you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
And then in Revelation chapter 1 verse five and six, it says, and
he has made us to be a Kingdom priest to his God and Father in
Revelation 5 verses 9 and 10. And you have made them to be a
Kingdom and priest to our God, and they will reign upon the
earth. In Revelation 20, verse 4 speaks
of those who will reign with Christ Jesus.
So now you can move back to Matthew 5 verses 13 to 16,
laying a bit of a foundation here, building upon what is the
story of the Bible all the way through that Jesus is grabbing a
hold of and declaring to those gathered into you and I tonight.
And that is this. Jesus is calling his disciples
ordinary, unexpected, undeserved people, you and I, back to this
role of a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
To do that, he uses 2 very simple metaphors that we're
going to unpack that everyone in this audience gathered and
hearing Jesus speak would have understood.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.
In other words, having been redeemed by grace, blessed are
you who are poor in spirit. You are now restored to be the
vehicle through which I can restore and bring restoration
into the world and unto others. And so this is not about trying
harder to be good people. This is about living out who we
already are, in and through and because of Jesus the Christ.
And so Jesus is activating his redemptive plan, and He has
chosen us as his followers, you and me as the vehicles through
which he invites a broken world back to him.
Isn't that amazing? God has chosen the foolish
things of the world to confound the wise, the Bible says.
So tonight, let's look at these very powerful metaphors.
You are the salt of the earth. And secondly, you are the light
of the world. And my prayer is that the Holy
Spirit will stir within our hearts a desire for us to be
exactly that which God has called us to, to be in our
homes, in our workplaces, in our communities, in this church, in
this nation. Verse 13 again, Matthew 5, you
are the salt of the earth. Salt, understand, was an
essential in the ancient world. Many of you will know this
already, but for those that do not, in the ancient world, the
Roman soldiers, part of their salary was to be paid in salt.
In fact, the word in Latin is solarium, where we get our
English word salary from. And maybe you're familiar with
the phrase he's not worth his salt.
That's derived from this custom and practise.
You see, they were paid in salt because salt, in the absence of
refrigeration, was used as a preserver on meat to help to.
Hold off decay and to prevent that as a purifier, as a flavour
enhancer of many of the things that we know it and and even in
the Old Testament of part of covenant making practises in
Scripture it would symbolise this.
We see that in Leviticus it was used for healing.
We know those properties today of stimulating appetite.
In Job chapter 6 verse 6, it declares about the need for salt
and food. So biblical, if you ever find
out you go, this needs more salt, pour it on preventing
decay. As I've said, promoting peace.
Even Mark Chapter 9 verse 50 and evidencing grace, Colossians 4
verse 6. And so salt being the salt of
the earth. When Jesus speaks of this
metaphor to the people gathered and to you and I tonight, it is
something to do with influence, something to do with character
of conduct. And so tonight we are salt.
And if you're the note taking type, there's a lot of Rs to
help you remember, hopefully some of the aspects and
applications of salt. We are salt because salt
restrains salt, wards off rot and decay.
As I said back then, in the absence of refrigeration, they
would utilise it to help preserve their meat and
especially you can imagine the armies in marching around and
the military campaigns and those gathered up here in the Galilee
region. It was known for it's fishing
industry and they would know heavily the need for salting a
fish, particularly in it's transportation to other parts of
at least the the Israel territories down into Jerusalem
and so on. And so just as salt back then
rubbed into meat to help preserve it, the application,
the presence and prayers of salty Christians like you and I
helps to preserve and to prevent rot and decay in homes, in
streets, in neighbourhoods, in communities, in workplaces, in
states like WA and nations like Australia and beyond.
Just as in the book of Genesis chapter 19, if there were 10
righteous people in the city of Sodom and Gomorrah, God said
that he would prevent that judgement that was to come.
Remember that dialogue with Abraham.
And so in our society, you are the salt of the earth and we
need Christians in all spheres and all aspects of society.
Christian mums and dads, obviously Christian students,
Christian teachers. One of the things that many
times when we first become Christians is we, we want to
just detach from the world around us.
And oh, if I could just live in a Christian bubble and, and all
my interactions would just be with, with heavenly Saints.
Oh, how glorious and how wonderful my existence would be.
But I don't believe that the Bible teaches us to be monastic
in our living, for we are to be the salt of the earth In this
way and and in that way, then God needs Christian students,
God needs Christian teachers. The world needs Christian
teachers, Christian principles, Christian brickies, Christian
electricians, Christian lawyers, Christian engineers, Christian
judges in society, nurses, doctors, politicians.
God help us to be the salt of the earth, to restrain, to ward
off the rot and decay of sin in the world around us.
And did you know that in Australia today, godly believers
are doing more to hold back moral decay than we often
realise? You know, on Wednesday when we
gathered to pray together as a church.
That's part of that holding back of salt being salty, of praying
for God's will to be done here on earth as in heaven.
For if we as the salt of the earth do not pray such prayers,
no one else will, and the rot and decay of sin in society will
continue to contaminate. And in that same vein, salt it
reaches, you know, when you put salt in things, well, it
permeates through, does it not? I don't know if you've
accidentally put what you thought was sugar into a cup of
tea or on your cereal and you've actually done the salt instead.
Oh, you know all about it, don't you?
The early church we read and when we studied through the book
of Acts, they scattered throughout the Roman Empire in
that 1st century. And what were they able to do as
the salt of the earth permeate throughout the known world at
that time? And they turned the world upside
down is what it says of them in Acts 1 chapters, Acts 81 and
four and 17 and 6. And so too, as salt of the
earth, our lives are to permeate through with the Gospel.
Salt refines. Thirdly, you are the salt of the
earth. Jesus said, well, salt refines.
There's a a purifying ability with salt.
You know if you have a wound or a cut and you go swimming in the
ocean or again talking back to this tour of Israel, when you
take a dunk in the Dead Sea, they in fact warn you and tell
you don't shave the day before. You'll know all about it when
you go in. The salt has this cleansing and
purifying capacity to it. If you ever have any dental
work, you'll often do a salt rinse and gargle right?
To flush out and to cleanse. In the Bible we see examples of
that again and again. Elisha used salt to heal the
waters at Jericho. Newborns in Ezekiel were washed
in salt. And similarly, you and I, as
Christians, as the salt of the earth, are to have a purifying
effect. You are the salt of the earth,
Jesus said. And so be thankful if people
when they come across you, change their conversation.
As a a believer, you walk in. There should be a difference
when people come across you and I as believers, as the salt of
the earth. And so thank God for that
purifying refining force at work in and through you in the world
as salt refines as a purifying ability.
Salt also relishes. Salt brings out the best in
food, in flavours. You and I, we know when we eat
and when we taste something. Wow, this needs salt.
And ironically many times in in baking and sometimes sweet
things, adding salt can help enhance the sweetness of it has
more of the opposite effects. It helps in flavouring
Christians then should be the flavour in the world around
them, bringing out the best in people for God's glory.
I was reading in my devotion this morning out of the book of
Ruth and here is an example of that.
This idea of salt, relishing a salt breathing, bringing out
flavour. When we're first introduced to
Boaz, Boaz, his first words he says to people as, as those who
are working and labouring in his fields, the Lord bless you.
And the response back is the Lord bless you too, Boaz.
It's like the moment that Boaz arrives onto the scene, he
brings the presence of the Lord with him.
And may that be true with you and I, rather than people going,
oh, here comes that Christian, may it be that we bring out the
flavour and the best in people. Oh man, I'm so glad that you're
here. You're like a breath of fresh
air in this workplace. We need more people like you.
Do you know of anyone needing a job?
Salt relishes. It brings out the best.
In conjunction with that, salt resists.
There's a poisoning ability to salt too.
Have you ever used salt around the house as a weed killer?
Pour over the cracks in your paving to stop the weeds from
coming up. Ever, kids?
Here's one for you. Poured salt on a slug?
Not that I've ever done that. I've read about that in the Old
Testament. In ancient times, when people
would be conquered in battle, one of the means to further
defeat them was to sow their fields with salt, to render them
infertile, for growing further agriculture and for their
recovery to make those fields useless.
And so in this way, true Christians and true Christianity
is to be as poison to sin as salt.
Then there will be certain things in our lives and in our
homes, in our communities that will be put to death as a
consequence of Christ in US, that will be resisted because of
Christ in US. And so when Christ enters a
life, holy saltiness begins to kill sinful desires.
You are the salt of the earth, the next one.
Have you not found this? That salt rouses salt crows.
Salt creates thirst. Bought that big box of popcorn
at the movies, doused, soaked in salt.
It's like we've been soaking in there for months.
Then you eat it and you say I need a big jug of Coke.
And they've got you exactly where they want you, right?
Because you go and pay the $500 it costs for that icy Coke.
But if you go into the ocean, you go swimming, you go surfing,
you spend a bit of time around salt, you get thirsty.
In fact, back in the agricultural sense, and many of
you might know this, that salt blocks are often used to
stimulate thirst for cattle, to encourage them to be drinking.
And so you and I, the way that we live as the salt of the
earth, is to cause people to be thirsty for Jesus, to stimulate
a desire within them to have and to enjoy and experience what we
know to be from and because of Jesus Christ in US.
I want what you've got and there's a difference in you in
in the way that you handle stress or this problem or this
situation or I know what you're going through and and I've been
through it as well, but there's something different, something I
just can't quite figure it out with you.
What's the difference? And then you've created and
stimulated thirst and then for Jesus in you, you're the salt of
the earth. Live so distinctly for people to
say I want what you have, not the opposite that.
Well, if that's Christianity, I don't want any part of it.
And salt lastly, reforms, you see, salt it, it changes
everything it touches, put it into food, organic materials,
etcetera. And, and in this fashion, in
this way, you and I, as the salt of the earth, are to be a lot
more like a thermostat than a thermometer, but to be agents of
change in this world in which we live.
And we will find ourselves winning more for Jesus.
If we're living and being like Jesus is the salt of the earth,
then by becoming like the world you are the salt of the earth,
he says. Then he offers this warning.
But if the salt loses its flavour, how shall it be
seasoned? Is then good for nothing but to
be thrown out and trampled under foot by men so there is a danger
to avoid. Salt back then was more common
of losing its flavour or savour, not quite as pure as our
chemically processed version today.
Ancient salt back then often mined or through evaporation,
and so as a consequence mixed with some impurities, other
minerals or sort of vegetable matter, and would often become
useless if exposed to certain elements or in contact with,
listen to this, the earth, the world.
So the idea is this for you and I, in losing our saltiness when
we get too close and too much like the world in which we live
and less like Christ, we lose our distinctiveness and our
usefulness and our saltiness, which led to a destiny to a poor
tasteless salt was then back then thrown out and trampled
under foot. Well, this is good for nothing.
I can't use it for these purposes.
So I'll just throw it out on the pathway to be trampled under
foot. And maybe it might suppress some
weeds, maybe it might provide a little grip as we walk and and
travel through these paths. But it was trod under foot.
It lost its purpose, became effectively good for nothing.
Jesus said Paul in fact feared this becoming a castaway in his
faith in one Corinthians 9 verse 27.
You are the salt of the earth, Jesus said.
But the second metaphor, he said you are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden and on through.
But hang on a minute, Israel. I thought the Bible said that
Jesus is the light. In fact, Jesus himself said that
in John 8 verse 12. I am the light of the world.
He who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light
of life. What is it?
Is Jesus the light or are you the light of the world?
Remember what I said at the beginning that you and I have
been restored to be partners, Co labourers in this restoration
process that Jesus is bringing into the world.
And think of it this way, of Jesus being the light, the main
source and of you and I being reflectors of the light of
Christ. And it is the light of Christ in
us that so shines forth out into the world.
And in this way, we are not like the sun, we're not like the
stars in the heavens, but we are more like the moon.
The moon has no light in and of itself, does it?
The moon draws its light. How?
By being a reflection of the sun.
Now it's interesting to take that metaphor and extend it out
even further. When is the moon dimmed?
When does the moon lose its light?
When the world blocks. When the world comes between
very interesting you and I, the light is not from us, it is from
Christ. So the power of the light, what
does this light do? When Jesus says you are the
light of the world, light dispels it, it conquers
darkness. You, you and I, if we were to
turn out all of these lights in this room become as dark as we
could possibly make it, 1 light would be enough to be evident,
sufficient and to effectively dispel to conquer the darkness.
Even a tiny light can drive it out.
The Bible tells us that God's word is a lamp.
There's a light you you as the light of the world, you know, as
a godly believer, as a Christian, bring God's light
into the darkest of situations. But also one of the benefits of
having light is I don't know if you've ever stumbled around in
the darkness and banged into everything is that you reduce
mistakes. I knew that couch was there, and
yet I hid it. You turn the light on and you'd
have to be a dummy to make that same mistake.
I remember one time we used to bury our compost out in the
backyard and just thinking, oh, it'll be a quick thing.
I took the shovel, began to dig, and it was pretty dark out.
I put my shovel right through the articulation pipe.
Made a mistake? But if you bring the light of
Christ into the darkest of situations, man, have you not
found God's wisdom coming through and God's blessing and
God's capacity? It removes fear, man, don't our
our minds run away, our imaginations run wild in the
dark. The boogeyman will get me all
sorts of fears, you know, kids and their need for Night Lights
and so on. But bringing the light as the
light of the world, the light of Christ, there's a peace and a
comfort that comes. Not only does light dispel in
conquering darkness, it revives. Light brings life.
If you were to take a plant, reduce its light, that is that
it's exposed to, it will eventually die.
But if you were to bring that plant out, and if you're to
bring seeds out and they're brought from the dark into
light, there's revival that happens.
It's the same with humans. You know the need for people who
live in those regions where syndrome like SAD is a parent
seasonal affective disorder where because of the darkness
and the the length and duration of winter that they're
encouraged to have either vitamin D injections or expose
themselves to artificial light that would be something like the
sun. The need for vitamin D.
So the gospel light brings life to dead souls and our witness
Christ in US warms sinners hearts and draw is to draw them
to salvation. Where are the places of this
light to be? In what places has Jesus
intentionally set us as the light of the world?
He says you are the light of the world.
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
So there's this more corporate collective element to it.
A visible collection of lights was a city on a hill.
Again, these limestone cities, they're impossible to hide, as I
say in the day, especially on a hill evident, but at night time
with all of the various lights of those inhabiting that city,
it would be spotted from miles away.
And collectively you and I, as the church, as the body of
believers, as a conglomeration of lights, our standards, our
worship, our stand with and for Jesus, it impacts and ought to
impact the community like a city on a hill.
You've all seen those satellite images of different cities at
night time lit up. It shows the impact of how
little lights combined together can have such a vast expansive
influence. In fact, you remember that the
city of Perth. Has that history being called
the City of Light when astronaut John Glenn in 1962 had his orbit
over and, and there was this thing where everybody was
encouraged to light up around the city, their homes and as
many lights as they could for him to be able to see an example
of this, this city on a hill and the impact that that has as a
collective, a community, a corporate light.
But, but also not only are we to shine our light when we gather
together here as the body of believers, but individually, the
light is to be taken wherever we go.
And the example that is given here is in the home, these oil
Wicks, these lampstands used in the home since they're not
hidden under a bushel. And so you and I at at at home
in the workplace, with our friends, not just at church when
we're with other Christians, but wherever we find ourselves
during the week. And not to hide the light of
Christ under a bushel. Some people might hide their
light out of fear. Think of the likes of a Joseph
of Arimathea in the New Testament.
Sometimes we can hide our light out of apathy or, or busyness or
leisure. But in all of those things, it's
an example of too much of the world getting in, isn't it?
So we must not separate the sacred and the secular.
Oh, I'm going to shine my light and I'm going to worship Jesus
and glorify him in the church. And well, how good is it to
gather with the believers? And, and yes, that's a wonderful
thing to be that, that collective city on a hill, then
the moment that we get home to snuff out the light and hide it
under a bushel. And nobody knows all week that
I'm a Christian and a follower of Jesus.
Shine everywhere. You are the light of the world.
And the purpose of this light. Verse 16.
The ultimate reason for this, Where should this light point
people to that they may see your good works #1 and glorify your
Father in heaven #2? It's to be a witness to the
lost. These good works, motivated by
love and powered by the Holy Spirit for God's glory, show
that our faith is real in US. James picks this up in his
epistle of of works revealing our faith at work in US of
transformed lives and then ultimately to be a witness to
the Lord that they might what in observing those good works, man,
you're you're the best worker we've got in the workplace.
I I love when you're diligent on a project and and the way that
you do this or that and in other words, it's to bring glory to
God in heaven, glorify your Father in heaven.
Our lives are to display the fruit of the Spirit, that all
the glory, all the honour, all the praise is to be brought to
Jesus. Think of the example of the
gathering demoniac who had set fear in the hearts of all those
around, so much so that they chained him in the cemetery.
And then Jesus delivers him and sets him free.
And then we have this wonderful story and we're told that he is
seated and the people see him, that he is clothed and that he
is in his right mind, and the glory is given to God.
Well, the woman at the well, remember her story.
Come and see, come and see. And it says that because of the
word of the woman, God did a wonderful work in that city, in
that town of Samaria. And people should see and say in
us they serve a great God. I want to know him.
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world,
Jesus said. Let me finish with this.
I don't know if you know the name DL Moody.
DL Moody is a famous evangelist pastor in the United States in
the 1800s and he served the Lord out of Chicago especially, but
also did many crusades on into Britain.
But there was a President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson,
who had an encounter with this DL Moody.
He tells the story this way of being in a Barber shop.
One time, he says, I was sitting in a barber's chair when I
became aware that a powerful personality had entered the
room. A man had come quietly in upon
the same errand as myself, to have his hair cut, and sat in
the chair next to me. Every word the man uttered,
though it was not in the least didactic, showed a personal
interest in the man who was serving him.
And before I got through with what was being done to me, I was
aware I had attended an evangelistic service.
Because Mr Dr Moody was in that chair, I purposely lingered in
the room after he had left and noted the singular effect that
his visit had brought upon the barbershop.
They talked in undertones. They did not know his name, but
they knew something had elevated their thoughts.
And I felt that I had left that place as I should have left a
place of worship. That is the kind of salt and
light influence that Jesus calls us to when He says you are the
salt of the earth and the light of the world.
I pray that the Lord has spoken to you tonight about your
testimony about your life. Is your life being salty?
Is your life being bright? Do you have people in your life
to pray for and to reach? God has redeemed you and I.
God has restored you and I that we may be the vehicle through
which that can extend on out to others.
Let us be salty Christians. Let us be shining lights,
fulfilling our role as a Kingdom of priests in this generation.
For His glory. Let's pray.
Lord God, as we close and finish our time together tonight, we
thank you for this teaching Jesus that you gave to your
disciples and those gathered there, and for us tonight to
hear and to be reminded that we are the salt of the earth, the
light of the world. Please help us to live in such a
fashion that honours you. It reflects you.
Move through this church. We pray to impact lives for your
glory. May people see our good works,
what you were doing in our midst, and may you be honoured
and worshipped and adored as a consequence.
And as we live that out where we find ourselves, wherever that
may be, in our home, our school, our workplace, whatever clubs,
community groups that we're involved in, in all our
interactions, may we be a salt of the earth.
Light of the world points and draws people to you, Lord Jesus,
for it's in your name we pray. Amen.