When we are living out the standards of the Lord Jesus in our lives, we will be like salt and like light. We’re blessed with the righteousness of Christ because through faith we hunger and thirst for it. Glad to know the words are helping. 5th Sunday after Epiphany (A) Just as salt is salty and just as a light bulb gives off light, we naturally exhibit the characteristics of being a Christian. 1 2 Salt and Light Epiphany 5A 2/5/2017 All Saints, Brookline Isaiah 58.1-9a Psalm 112.1-9 I Corinthians 2.1-12 Matthew 5.13-20 Salt and Light “If salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored?” At first glance, this question reminds me of a Zen koan. 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 are called to be the salt and light of the world. Print This Post. “Yes,” she said, “we’ve had some conversations about that. And sometimes it’s hard. 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. 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. Salt and light are natural in life; they’re needed and welcomed. And this is a high calling for you and me, it is one that our Lord takes most seriously and it’s one that we should take seriously as well. You are forgiven. Dave Faulkner. Because He faithfully served as the Light of the World, even though it would lead to His death, He has given us what we don’t have; a new relationship with God. We said that the book was set during the Babylonian exile of Judah. We want to be the beacon of hope to a lost and fallen world. Matthew 5:13-20 New International Version (NIV) Salt and Light 13 “You are the salt of the earth. In both cases, both the salt and the light, there is to be an impact. 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. Often such people are ones who want to see the world changed for the better. When we aren’t, they don’t. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,” said John of Jesus’ coming into the world. He has campaigned against multinational companies that have exploited their workers in these lands, and he has taken groups of Christians from the United States on mission trips there. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Now the peace which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. There’s just one problem with all these views. The salt of the earth and the light of the world. Jesus says, “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. Let me say it simply: When we are salt and light, the world listens to us. And that, positively, is Jesus’ point when he goes on to describe Christians as the light of the world: You are the light of the world. ... Other sermons in this series. Not only do we live our faith while the world is watching – as if we were actors in a TV show being viewed by others – we live our faith with those people and towards the world. He is concerned about his disciples not being the salt of the earth, not influencing society for good – whatever that entails: But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? 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. This is the Word of the Lord from the Gospel of Matthew. The question is what makes us different from the rest of the worl… Jesus says that in fact, we are blessed, all of us, and we are called to be a blessing to others – to all of the world. There’s nothing else like it. The Church stands alone from everything else in the world offering true hope and true peace to a world that knows neither hope nor peace. 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. It is when we depart from the Spirit-led lifestyle of genuine discipleship that the distinctions between ourselves and the rest of the world become blurred and our testimony is hindered. Matthew 5:13-16. Loving the Family, 1 John 3 2. No: Jesus calls us to see the church as the people of God gathering to edify one another and strengthen each other for witness in the world. In the final beatitude, Jesus described the attitude the world would often display towards the citizens of the kingdom (10-12) 3. But I’m going to say more, because this is so important. Jesus doesn’t ascribe to any of them. Jesus was implying we ought to be a different kind of people. Four world-renowned communicators who bring life-changing messages to... Jul 19, 2020. 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. 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. Let me say it simply: When we are salt and light, the world listens to us. And this is really what it is all about, isn’t it? The man broke down in tears. When Christians decide to be salt and light, the world pays close attention to what we say and do. The Salt Of The Earth. (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. 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 have neighbours whom we can love in the name of Christ. It is our witness, whether good or bad. Another positive image of salt is to see it as fertiliser, stimulating the growth of righteousness, justice and spirituality in the world. Like today’s Gospel, last week’s Gospel, came from the Sermon on the Mount. So let’s pause and consider the problems here. Musings of an evangelical Methodist minister. People listened. Sermon by J. Ligon Duncan on December 7, 1997. In the Roman market place salt was even used at times as money and without electricity light was a valuable asset at night. He speaks of a teacher who was being prayed for in church, in support of his rôle in the congregation teaching Sunday School. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Sermons › Salt and Light; Daniel: Salt and Light. A New Lens. In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." We don’t need to earn those because Christ has done all that is necessary that we would be forgiven. We are to be 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. We tell people of their sin and we share with them the forgiveness that is theirs through the crucified Christ. Salt and light are natural in life; they’re needed and welcomed. If you’re not a follower of Jesus, your life can be changed. Pastor John Pavlovitz wrote an article on why he is a Christian – or as he puts it, why I am still a Christian. ( Log Out /  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. "Salt and Light" is a part of the Sermon on the Mount series. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. 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. These two examples Jesus uses may seem insignificant now, but in the first century salt and light was very valuable. Can you imagine living in a world that doesn’t have salt or light? 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. ( Log Out /  February 20, 2005. We love our family and friends and that’s why we share the Gospel with them. Or, to put it another way, someone has put it like this. Yet how often is it the case that Christians have vacated these areas, seeing involvement there as inferior to church work? Light shines for hours every day and when the sun goes down, we simply flip a switch to light our homes. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? "THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT" Salt And Light (Mt 5:13-16) INTRODUCTION 1. (Matthew 4:19) Then, in the Sermon on the Mount, he used the illustrations of salt and light. We look at both the qualities of being salt (creates thirst, a seasoning, part of the sacrifice, and preservative), and light (exposes and guides). The Beatitudes are the blessings that Jesus bestows upon us because we’re His disciples. Let's examine the implications of the image of salt and light. And Jesus called his followers – he calls us - us salt and light. We can see this as a wonderful opportunity for witness in the world. 1. By day he gave himself to providing medical care for people who otherwise would not be able to access it. We’re blessed because we come before God humbly confessing our sins. We let it shine so that it brings others to God. Others interpret salt as a metaphor for wisdom, and therefore Christians provide acute moral insight to help society. 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. We are quick to condemn when people in politics, the media or popular arts take stances that are ignorant of Christianity or hostile to it. While there is an award winning Biographical Documentary Film titled ‘Salt of the Earth’ according to the Meriam-Webster Dictionary it’s a phrase used to refer to people of good character. What we say and do is seen by the world. It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”  We salt and light the world because we’re His disciples, so what does it mean if we don’t salt the earth or shine our light? Phil explored what it means today for Memorial Road to be salt and light in our own community. 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. 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. We want them to see the Church as a place where their deepest needs are met and satisfied by God Himself. Salt and Light. Matthew 5:13-20 The salt of the earth. 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. In this section, Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus tells his disciples, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” In this study, therefore, we will examine what it means to be salt and light. The salt of the earth and the light of the world. Jul 26, 2020. So salt the earth and let your light shine because you are God’s instruments to bring Christ to this world, and that is an awesome and wonderful calling for you and me. Not only was he a circuit steward, his day job was a responsible managerial one for an international shipping company and he was also a governor at his daughter’s school. By evening he would drive around the area, preaching the Gospel. It was always hard to get hold of him by phone or email, because he was so busy. Our witness is about both our words and our deeds. Because, I argued, it meant losing another person from the front line of Christian witness in the world. It is a dark, drab world obsessed with and immersed in sin, and it desperately needs the salt and light … This might be an argument for Christian involvement in politics, even for having bishops in the House of Lords. Make a difference for the glory of God. Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. You are faithful for hoarding your salt. That is, when Jesus calls us the salt of the earth and the light of the world, he is telling us we live as disciples for the blessing of the world. One day, I was talking with his wife about the pressures he was under. And one small light shining in the darkness can overcome it. It isn’t that shining our light before others so that they see our good deeds is about us boasting or acting as if we are superior. “You are the salt … There is almost no greater disappointment than unflavored food! as a pastor he was taught how to make people busy working in the churches. And that’s where we come in. One is to season, and the other is to preserve. You are the salt of the earth. Indeed, we institutionalise such an approach. We have to seek his meaning not in ancient uses of salt nor in Old Testament verses, but in what he says about the image. You are the only light of the world!” In the midst of … 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. Are we not fools when we give no priority to influencing the world for good as the salt of the earth? The text that I have chosen for this morning’s sermon is the Gospel, which was read a few minutes ago. It isn’t that we speak about our faith and don’t match it with our actions. Before refrigeration salt was used to preserve food, especially meat. Last week we commented on the context of the book of Daniel. God bless. This sermon explains how we make a lasting impact on our communities by being salt and light. Nor do we salt the earth and shine our light that we somehow obtain God’s favor and forgiveness. You might have the vocation of spouse, child, employee, and friend, you are probably a mixture of many of these. And as Christians we’re different than others. You may go through university, leave home, start a job, begin paying a mortgage, get married, have children and so on. Amen, Copyright © 2021 Emmanuel Lutheran Church. We don’t shine our light to be saved, rather we shine our lights because we are saved. 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. The moment we start treating the church as the provider of our religious services we start asking the wrong questions about whether the church is meeting our needs, and then walking out when the preaching, the music, the small groups or the children’s ministry doesn’t reach the standards we set in our minds. And while we might think we affirm the importance of being salt and light, I want to say this morning that we pay lip service to it, and the way we run our churches often undermines this essential Christian task. By way of transition to talking secondly about light, let me tell you about a circuit steward from one of my previous appointments. Because you then have a new and loving relationship with God, you have a new relationship with those around you. Now keep in mind that just like you can overdo the salt, you can be too hard on people. It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. It was told by Mark Greene, the Executive Director of the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity. 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. Firstly by thinking about salt and secondly about – you guessed it – light. 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. I believe Jesus calls us to earn the right to speak. This isn’t easy, not at all, in fact it can feel impossible, but it’s what we do. Just the right amount of salt in your food helps turn ordinarily bland food into a flavorful treat. Followers of Jesus, commit today to live as salt and light. So a good test of whether we are salt and light is whether Knaphill and the neighbouring villages would be upset if KMC closed. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. As a result, millions suffer because they continue to conform to the world and its destructive ways. But it might well be part of their journey to faith in Christ themselves. We need a Salt and Light Revolution in our day. We look at both the qualities of being salt (creates thirst, a seasoning, part of the sacrifice, and preservative), and light (exposes and guides). That doctor set up a surgery in a poor village. (Verse 13b). More positively, others will say that salt is for seasoning or purifying, so Christian disciples have a rôle in improving the moral and ethical life of our culture. Part 4. In a manner of speaking, this world is unseasoned and dark. 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. But why did Jesus say we are are the Salt of the Earth? “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. On first glance, these two things don’t seem to have much in common, but they do. When Christians decide to be salt and light, the world pays close attention to what we say and do. To face such major challenges requires a lot of energy, and this shows itself in other ways. Over the years, he has had a special concern for some of the impoverished nations in the Caribbean, such as Haïti and the Dominican Republic. How am I going to do it? Then there are those who point to the use of salt in Old Testament texts about sacrifice or about God’s covenant.[1]. 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