sermons on salt and light

He just says we are the salt of the earth, full stop. Often such people are ones who want to see the world changed for the better. It is a dark, drab world obsessed with and immersed in sin, and it desperately needs the salt and light … As those blessed by Jesus, we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Phil preached about salt and light from Matthew 5 for our series “The Vision of Jesus.” He explained why Jesus might have picked these two metaphors from among other choices to describe His people. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” said John of Jesus’ coming into the world. Can you imagine living in a world that doesn’t have salt or light? (Matthew 4:19) Then, in the Sermon on the Mount, he used the illustrations of salt and light. Salt and Light. He speaks of a teacher who was being prayed for in church, in support of his rôle in the congregation teaching Sunday School. It was always hard to get hold of him by phone or email, because he was so busy. Click here to return to the Sermons page. We can see this as a wonderful opportunity for witness in the world. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? We are called to be the salt and light of the world. O. ur last study was about the eighth and last beatitude that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.. Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? You may go through university, leave home, start a job, begin paying a mortgage, get married, have children and so on. This is the Word of the Lord from the Gospel of Matthew. He asked, what do churches have to do in order to reach the missing young adults in their twenties and thirties? Here is the sermon for this coming Sunday, the second in our series from the Sermon on the Mount. Salt and light are natural in life; they’re needed and welcomed. Salt and light are natural in life; they’re needed and welcomed. We don’t need to earn those because Christ has done all that is necessary that we would be forgiven. You are the only light of the world!” In the midst of … Make a difference for the glory of God. We do good works, we help those around us, we share the love of Christ not so others say what good people we are, but so that they would say how good God is. We let it shine so that it brings others to God. Then there are those who point to the use of salt in Old Testament texts about sacrifice or about God’s covenant.[1]. Or, to put it another way, someone has put it like this. She was surprised when I suggested that his church work might not be the most important thing he did. Last week we heard the Beatitudes. I believe Jesus calls us to earn the right to speak. Jesus doesn’t ascribe to any of them. He quotes American pastor Tim Keller, who says that. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. We are salt and light by virtue of being disciples of Jesus. Salt and Light. And that’s where we come in. You aren’t just family, friends, or neighbors, you are saints, children of God, to whom He has entrusted the Salt and the Light of Christ Jesus. You are forgiven for failing to be faithful in your vocations. Jesus says we can do it for a different motive: ‘that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’ Isn’t that what we want? We need a Salt and Light Revolution in our day. Nor do we salt the earth and shine our light that we somehow obtain God’s favor and forgiveness. Let's examine the implications of the image of salt and light. But today we come not just to see and to hear. It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Because you then have a new and loving relationship with God, you have a new relationship with those around you. You are the salt of the earth. He calls us to stop treating the church as our one-stop provider of religious services and our social life, and to get our hands dirty in the world. Indeed, we institutionalise such an approach. For although sometimes some non-Christians will mock us, there are many who will welcome our sharing of God’s love in all sorts of ways. Thanks for sermon 2. We want them to see the Church as a place where their deepest needs are met and satisfied by God Himself. We’re blessed because we come before God humbly confessing our sins. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? We sin, we fail to shine our lights, and we don’t sprinkle our salt, so every day we need to remember that Christ is for us too. And fortunately, it can have both because you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. It is a dark, drab world obsessed with and immersed in sin, and it desperately needs the salt and light that is Christ Jesus. What we say and do is seen by the world. But I’m going to say more, because this is so important. I can’t imagine French fries without salt and I would never live in Barrow, Alaska where the sun doesn’t shine for six months in the winter. Powered by, http://lakeviewemmanuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Voice00032.mp3. The salt of the earth. Introduction: God refers to believers as the “salt” and “light.” Too many Christians fail to appropriate the benefits, privileges, and responsibilities of being salt and light. One is to season, and the other is to preserve. In other words, Jesus doesn’t take his simple analogy of us as the salt of the earth and extend it into some great allegory. That is Jesus' lesson to us. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? We are part of a world that needs to see the love of Christ demonstrated and explained. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." “Salt and Light” Matthew 5:13-16 Today’s lesson comes right after, what are called the Beatitudes—or what we talked about last Sunday—it’s the beginning of Jesus’ great big famous Sermon on the Mount. We don’t beat them up with their sin, we don’t thump with our Bibles, and we don’t shame them, rather we share the message of Christ with love. So a good test of whether we are salt and light is whether Knaphill and the neighbouring villages would be upset if KMC closed. It makes absolutely no sense to light a lamp and then hide it under a bucket because the lamp is supposed to bring light to the whole house. If the Sermon on the Mount is where we learn to be disciples before the watching world, as I argued in my introduction last week, then salt and light are prime examples of this. In "The Beatitudes", the CHARACTER AND BLESSEDNESS of the citizens were described 2. Your words are helping at a most difficult time. Common table salt is in abundance in this world and is readily available for us to use to our heart’s content. We’re blessed because Christ enables us to forgive those who have hurt us. We shine our light in a darkened world so that others will know the salvation that we know, that they will also know that love of God. Not being the salt of the earth, not making it a priority for Christians to influence the world for good, is foolishness in the eyes of Jesus. In a manner of speaking, this world is unseasoned and dark. In particular, he tells a story about a Christian doctor who went out to one of these nations – I think it was the Dominican Republic. Followers of Jesus, commit today to live as salt and light. Kandiah reminds me in his article of a story I have heard several times before. You see, even though Jesus was just beginning His public ministry, He had already attracted quite a following. 1. Four world-renowned communicators who bring life-changing messages to... Jul 19, 2020. Obeying the Commandments, 1 John 2 3. This sermon explains how we make a lasting impact on our communities by being salt and light. Now, light is an external quality that enables one to see. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shocks His listeners with the Beatitudes and then launches into the metaphor of salt and light to help his listeners understand how they're called to interact with the world. We want them to know the joy that comes from being the salt of Christ, we want them to experience the power of forgiveness that makes them shine. Those who have read my sermons here in recent years may recognise one or two things I’ve quoted before, but they get a repeat here for a new church! What this means is what we’ve already talked about; we naturally salt the earth and light the world. But we can take this positively. Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.” (Matthew 5:10-11). We tell people of their sin and we share with them the forgiveness that is theirs through the crucified Christ. These two examples Jesus uses may seem insignificant now, but in the first century salt and light was very valuable. God bless. On first glance, these two things don’t seem to have much in common, but they do. By evening he would drive around the area, preaching the Gospel. Jul 19, 2020 | Albert Tate. You are forgiven for hiding your lamp. Musings of an evangelical Methodist minister. And as Christians we’re different than others. When Christians decide to be salt and light, the world pays close attention to what we say and do. Don’t we want our witness to attract other people to Jesus and his Father? It desperately needs to be seasoned by Christ if it is to emerge from shadow of sin and death. There’s nothing else like it. In our Gospel for this morning, Jesus mentions two things that don’t really seem to go together; salt and light. Because, I argued, it meant losing another person from the front line of Christian witness in the world. If you have your Bibles, I would invite you to turn with me to Daniel, chapter 2. Others interpret salt as a metaphor for wisdom, and therefore Christians provide acute moral insight to help society. The question is what makes us different from the rest of the worl… Matthew 5:13 (NLT) "You are the salt of the earth. Because we’re saved, we shine our light and we salt the earth as we live out our daily vocations. Sermon: "Salt and Light" It seems to me that as Christians, we are called to enact a tremendous balancing act as we go through life. ( Log Out /  But the salt that we season the world with and the light that we shine in the darkness is more important and more powerful. A seemingly impossible riddle that just might bring me greater enlightenment […] In short, cutting some ties from the institutional church and simplifying some of the ways we do church in order to release ourselves to spend more time blessing people in our communities with the love of God in word and deed is absolutely critical to our sharing in the mission of God. One of the problems he cited as making the church unattractive to people in that age range was the disconnect between Sunday and Monday. And one small light shining in the darkness can overcome it. Matthew 5:13-16. It’s the Only Light; In both of these statements– you are the salt of the earth, and you are the light of the world– the language here is emphatic, it can also be translated “You are the only salt of the earth. Before refrigeration salt was used to preserve food, especially meat. Why did he only receive prayer for the one hour a week he had contact with Christian children, but no prayer at all for the forty hours a week he devoted to contact with non-church children. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Now keep in mind that just like you can overdo the salt, you can be too hard on people. People listened. And this is why we do what we do, that Christ would be the focus of those on whom we shine our light and sprinkle our salt. We look at both the qualities of being salt (creates thirst, a seasoning, part of the sacrifice, and preservative), and light (exposes and guides). Ye are the light of the world. A New Lens. And although some will mock, many will ‘glorify [our] Father in heaven.’ That might simply be we’ve done a good bit of PR for the faith. We are called to be the salt and light of the world. One day, I was talking with his wife about the pressures he was under. The test of a church is whether the local community would miss it if it shut. In the Roman market place salt was even used at times as money and without electricity light was a valuable asset at night. But there is a danger that the impact will be lost. The Value of Salt Salt gives flavor Makes foods come “alive” Salt preserves Prevents spoilage This isn’t easy, not at all, in fact it can feel impossible, but it’s what we do. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. You are faithful for hoarding your salt. Jesus says that salt without the saltiness, disciples who don’t influence the world for good, is, no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. (Verses 14-16). Salt … When we aren’t, they don’t. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. "Salt and Light" is a part of the Sermon on the Mount series. And Jesus called his followers – he calls us - us salt and light. We’re not just children, we’re faithful and God pleasing children, we are not just employees or students, we’re faithful and God pleasing employees and students. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Now the peace which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Just a pinch of salt can make a huge difference in the flavor of a dish. Just think for a moment about the sin that you see around you daily. In your twenties and thirties, he said, you are faced with a lot of life changes. The world is a dark and fallen place that desperately needs to be changed. Matthew 5:13-16 (Salt and Light) INTRODUCTION: We are studying the Sermon on the Mount, and today we come to the part where Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Today we often take these two things for granted. In the final beatitude, Jesus described the attitude the world would often display towards the citizens of the kingdom (10-12) 3. Light shines for hours every day and when the sun goes down, we simply flip a switch to light our homes. In both cases, both the salt and the light, there is to be an impact. When I reflect on the voluntary work I do in our community not directly related to our church – namely, working at an op shop (fundraising for our nursing home) and tutoring an African refugee – I can show God’s love to the people I’m working with, inadequate as I am. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.”  Like a city set on a hill, we want the people of this world to focus on us as members of a place of refuge. A vocation is where God has put you in this world. No matter what our station in life, no matter our age, our gender, or our vocation, we do all that we do so that others will glorify God and come to faith in Christ who saves them from sin and eternal death. Jesus was implying we ought to be a different kind of people. And when we think that our social lives should revolve around the church, we cut ourselves off from the world where we are meant to shine our light, by reflecting Christ. Just as salt is salty and just as a light bulb gives off light, we naturally exhibit the characteristics of being a Christian. Firstly by thinking about salt and secondly about – you guessed it – light. The salt of the earth and the light of the world. I suggest that one thing implied here is that we so live lives of love and concern for the people in our world that it leads to questions and opportunities, so that then we can tell people the Gospel of the Saviour and Lord in whom we believe. When we aren’t, they don’t. "THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT" Salt And Light (Mt 5:13-16) INTRODUCTION 1. The salt and light of we who are disciples of Christ bring hope to the hopeless, forgiveness to the sinners, and life to the spiritually dead. (Verse 13), I am sure you have heard several preachers expound on why Jesus describes as salt, and what our saltiness is meant to achieve. You might have the vocation of spouse, child, employee, and friend, you are probably a mixture of many of these. You might call this portion of the sermon the charge of the light brigade or the call to pass the salt and be salt shakers in the world. Matthew 5:13-20 New International Version (NIV) Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth. That doctor set up a surgery in a poor village. Our witness is about both our words and our deeds. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Nor is it that we engage in worthy deeds as a reason to avoid talking about Christ. (Verse 13b). Instead, we’re to do what God has sent us to do. (Matthew 5:13-16) Both salt and light have properties which affect things around them. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It’s not because we are holier or better than everyone else, it’s just because we’ve been changed through faith in Christ. We look at both the qualities of being salt (creates thirst, a seasoning, part of the sacrifice, and preservative), and light (exposes and guides). To face such major challenges requires a lot of energy, and this shows itself in other ways. Loving the Family, 1 John 3 2. The text that I have chosen for this morning’s sermon is the Gospel, which was read a few minutes ago. What a tragedy this is! We’re blessed with the righteousness of Christ because through faith we hunger and thirst for it. 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