Salt and Light | Matthew 5:13-16

A Bible reading this morning is Matthew 5, 13-16, and I'll be reading from the NIV.

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 are the light of the world.

A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Instead they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds

and glorify your Father in heaven.

Good morning everyone.

It is wonderful to be together in church and to be singing together, praying together,

and right now we are going to listen to these words from our God together.

But before we do that, let us join together in prayer.

Father God, we are indeed so thankful that we are able to be here together, singing your

praises, worshipping you in public, speaking these words from the Bible, that we are not

afraid for our very lives right now, like some of our brothers and sisters around the

world who are doing this in secret.

Father, we ask that as we come to this text this morning, that your Spirit, your Holy

Spirit would be at work among us, that Christ would be held high and that this high calling

that we as your disciples, Lord Jesus, that are called to, that you would lead and guide

us, Lord, that we would be a people that would be indeed light and salt of this earth.

We ask for this in Jesus' name, Amen.

A man flew into New York and hired a taxi to take him downtown.

As he was riding along the way, they came to a red light and the driver went right on

through the red light.

The man said, hey, the light was red, you're supposed to stop.

The driver said, yeah, I know, but my brother does it all the time.

Soon they came to a second red light and again they went right on through it.

The passenger said, you're going to get us killed, that light was red, why didn't you

stop?

The driver said, don't worry about it, my brother does it all the time.

Then they came to a green light and suddenly he stopped.

The man said, the light's green, now is the time to go, why don't you go on through?

The driver answered, I know it's green, but you never know when my brother's going to

come on through.

Now why might that illustration be relevant for us here this morning?

Well because sometimes it seems as if the whole world is doing things backwards, going

through an endless series of red lights and stopping on green, consistently trying things

that don't work and are somewhat incredibly terrifying.

And like it or not, there are serious consequences and eternal consequences in rejecting God's

order in this world.

But here's the thing, we the church are called to not just sit there and do nothing about

it, no, we're called to engage with this world so that people will come to the knowledge

of the truth and be saved.

But before we get into any of that, we need to have a think about where we've come from

so far in the book of Matthews so that we can understand what's going on in our passage

this morning.

Now just a few weeks ago, we worked our way through chapter four with Sean Tan, who generously

came to preach for us.

And we saw that Jesus went to Galilee when he heard that John had been put into prison,

which was something God told Israel would happen regarding the Messiah.

Saying, through the prophet Isaiah, land of Zebulun, land of Nephtali, the way of the

sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people living in darkness have seen a

great light.

Beyond those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.

Now that's interesting what's being said there for a couple of reasons.

First, because nothing that happened in the life of Jesus was by mistake.

God planned it all, even where Jesus would live and he proclaimed it to Israel 700 years

before it even happened.

But I digress, because it's the second thing that I want you to notice here.

And that's what Isaiah called Jesus and saw of him.

And that was that Jesus would be a great light in this dark, dark world.

It's after the fulfilment of that prophecy, wrote Matthew, that we then saw Jesus not

remain withdrawn in any sense, but then enter into his public ministry as this light, proclaiming

repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near.

Which is another way of saying God's kingdom that you've been waiting for Israel, it's

finally here.

And Jesus proved that to be the case as he went through that region with the disciples

that he had picked up along the way.

Working in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every

disease and sickness.

To which Jesus was becoming more and more famous throughout the land.

So much so that as we saw last week, Jesus went up on a mountain and large crowds from

all over the country had come to see and hear what he was about.

Which as we saw was incredibly significant because Jesus was more than just a great teacher

doing great things among these people.

No, he was much more as the opening scene of the sermon on the mount had the flavour

of what Moses said would happen one day.

Namely that one greater than he would eventually come to God's people and have the very words

of God to give to them.

What were those words that Jesus said to them?

We saw that throughout the announcements of blessing or the Beatitudes as they're classically

called, none of them could be achieved in and of ourselves in any real or lasting way.

For example, Jesus preached to the crowds that one is blessed if they're poor in spirit.

Meaning that one had so come to the end of themselves that they relied on God for everything.

Looking at nothing in themselves to enter into his kingdom.

They looked to him alone, which was the main thrust of all that Jesus said in the opening

verses of chapter five.

What was interesting about what Jesus said about those who are poor in spirit is that

the kingdom is talked about in the present tense.

It's talked about in the present tense as there's now.

Notice it, if you have your Bibles with you this morning, chapter five, verse three, blessed

are the poor in spirit for there's is the kingdom of heaven.

Verse 10, blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness for there's is the

kingdom of heaven.

And I mention this because these two pronouncements bookend the Beatitudes with this present tense

language.

Now I want you to notice this because language is so important for us to take note of as

you work your way through any biblical text.

Because every word matters and the Beatitudes are no different.

And the careful reader will notice that Jesus is doing a few interesting things with the

language throughout the opening of this sermon.

Like he would talk in the present and then in the future tense.

He would speak in an active and then in a passive way.

Blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted, for example.

And I mention this because we also need to notice that the language switches in verses

11 and 12 from the third to the second person.

Notice it, it goes from they to you.

Now why might that be the case?

Well looking back at verses 1 and 2 we actually get the answer.

See if you go back to those verses you'll notice that when Jesus saw the crowds he sat

down and began to teach.

But you'll also notice that Matthew mentions that his disciples came to him as well.

So it seems in one sense that Jesus was teaching in a general way to all those who were gathered

to hear him to the crowds but then switched to a specific sense in verses 11 and 12 to

address his disciples personally.

What does he say to them?

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against

you because of me.

Rejoice and be glad because great is your reward in heaven for in the same way they

persecuted the prophets who were before you.

That's some interesting English class there Michael but why mention it?

Well because the personal second pronoun you continues right into our text this morning.

Meaning that Jesus is specifically addressing those who had come in a very real sense to

the end of themselves and had left their way of doing things to follow Jesus as his disciple.

All this to say what we've seen thus far in the ministry of Jesus the Messiah the light

that had come into this dark world is that he had come to establish the long awaited

kingdom of heaven and that those who believed his preaching of repentance well they became

his disciples to whom Jesus saw as people who had entered God's kingdom and had themselves

become the salt and light in this world.

So with that said let's have a look at what Jesus has to say not only to the disciples

of his day but to anyone who has come to the end of themselves and put their trust in Jesus

and become his disciple.

If you have your Bibles let's have a look at the text verse 13.

You are the salt of the earth and we really need to understand what Jesus is saying here

because salt is such an interesting thing to call people right.

It's interesting to call anyone let alone in the ancient world.

You see salt in these times was used for a number of different things but it might be

noted that it was primarily used in the ancient world as a preservative.

That's because in the ancient world no one had a fridge so they needed a way to preserve

their meat and of course it didn't taste too bad either.

So there might be a couple of different pictures that we're getting here on a couple of different

levels.

The Lexham dictionary of biblical theology puts it like this.

Salt is one of the most common substances on the earth and cannot be destroyed by fire

or time.

Also known as white gold it is one of the most significant substances in history along

with iron, gold and wheat.

In ancient societies it was a valuable social and economic commodity which was used to preserve

such things as olives and fish.

So thinking about what Jesus has called his disciples here in this ancient context it

seems that he's saying you have something to do in this world and if you're not out

there doing what you're meant to be doing the world will rot, fester and waste away.

Now we all know by reading through the gospel according to any of the evangelists that Jesus

couldn't possibly be talking about his disciples and their own bright ideas right.

I mean my connect group is going through the book of Mark at the moment and we're seeing

through the weeks that the disciples of Jesus well they don't really get what he's about

most of the time.

I mean they play background characters in a lot of the scenes but as we'll see when

they do speak they seem to have foot in mouth syndrome.

So we shouldn't walk away from what Jesus is saying here to these disciples thinking

to ourselves that Jesus was saying you disciples with your big personalities you're going to

win the world over, not in any sense and that's why we can't disconnect what's come before.

Those who had heard the message of Jesus, heard the message to repent, those who had

seen their dire need for God well the kingdom of heaven was theirs and they as the disciples

of Jesus were the salt of the earth as they lived in light of what God had told them.

In other words their very obedience to God's word would have such a profound effect on

the society around them that they were likened to salt which preserved flesh.

And church we mustn't just relegate this to the annuals of the past, no not in any sense.

What Jesus said to his disciples here applies directly to us this morning as well.

If you have seen your desperate need to be saved, if you have called upon the name of

the Lord and you trust in Jesus alone then there has been an awesome supernatural work

take place in you.

So much so that you have been transformed to what Jesus calls born again and because

of that supernatural work that has taken place in you by the work of the Holy Spirit, that

deep desire that you have to quit doing things your way and follow Jesus in every area of

your life mustn't ever be pushed aside or ignored.

Brother and sister though you might look at your life and see so, so, so much that still

needs to change, that transfer from death to life, from darkness to light, from highway

to hell to heavenly home permeates through you more and more as you trust and obey the

Lord in this world.

That's what Jesus is saying.

He's saying you disciples are not to withdraw from this world, from your community, no not

in any sense.

The world needs people of the kingdom present and working in this world so it doesn't rot

away.

And like soldier influence in those places will be for the good.

Paul says it like this when speaking to the Corinthians, for we are to God the pleasing

aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those and notice this language who

are perishing.

Amazing amazing stuff right where you are now Christian, right where God has you in

this life, in your family, in your job, in your community, in your street, wherever God

has you because of his work in you, because of your obedience in response to his totally

unmerited favour, you are so, so, so much more than a mum, than a brother, an employee,

a friend or neighbour.

You're a beloved disciple of Jesus Christ, changed and commissioned to take and live

out his preserving message wherever you go.

That's what you are in a very real sense.

We might say you're an insulted person which totally gives us a different outlook on our

weekly environments, right?

Because the places that we find ourselves in, the streets where we live, the places

that we play sport, the classes we take, the people we meet, the people we work with, where

they're all environments where we have been sent to influence this world for Christ and

his kingdom.

Amazing stuff, amazing, amazing stuff.

But hang on for just a moment.

You see, like we're not to disconnect these disciples from ourselves, their commission

and commands from our commission and command, we too, by no means can ignore the perplexing

warning that Jesus then gives.

Verse 13, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

It's no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

Now I say that this warning is perplexing because salt, by its very nature, can be nothing

other than salt, which means that salt cannot really lose its saltiness or by implication

be made salty again.

Some have argued that Jesus is using something called hyperbolic language here.

He's saying that this is impossible, suggesting that salt losing its saltiness can't happen

and thus disciples who are really disciples will never lose their flavour, so to speak.

We mustn't move past this warning too quickly, church, because he has said something and

we need to take note.

See I don't think this is primarily a comment on salvation as it is on witness.

And if we are to take it as Jesus talking about our witness in this world, then we must

take into account that in context here, salt from the marshes of the regions Jesus ministered

in and the Dead Sea were always in danger of being adulterated with sand and thus in

no way could be used as a preservative for anything.

So it was thrown out as utterly useless.

D.A. Carson puts it like this, salt in the ancient world was always in danger of losing

its effectiveness in keeping corruption at bay and thus would have to be jettisoned if

compromised as a useless commodity.

Remember that's what salt was among other things in the ancient world.

It was used on flesh to fight deterioration and therefore it must not itself deteriorate.

The illustration couldn't be any more clearer on the back of verses 11 and 12.

Jesus is saying to his disciples, don't compromise with the world because if you do you'll lose

your effectiveness in this world.

Think about it, Jesus has said you will be disrespected, persecuted and slandered because

of me.

But when, not if, when that happens, don't think that something has gone horribly wrong

because they did the exact same things to all those who came before you who stood for

the kingdom of heaven.

So when you're out there in the world living in the way that God would have you, if you

compromise with the world, if you mix all that it adopts with what God calls you to,

your effectiveness in this world will be utterly useless and good for nothing.

That's the thing brothers and sisters, that we as the disciples of Christ individually

and as the church must pay attention to.

We are called to engage with this world but not compromise with it.

You become so tempting in the face of being fired because you won't affirm a certain colleague's

pronoun choices or called a bigot because you won't celebrate a family member's life

decision or hated by friends because you won't shift on saying there's one way and his name

is Jesus Christ.

The list goes on and on and on and these are very real things that face us day in and day

out as Christians here in Australia.

The reality is church, the message of the kingdom, the good news of Jesus is worth the

slander, disrespect and persecution because if our family, friends, work colleagues, neighbours,

communities and city is going to be preserved from eternal destruction, if this is what

we believe, it's not going to come through you and me adopting the way of the world to

seem more appealing to them.

Now it's going to come through living our transformed lives in front of this world showing

them that there is a right way and we do it in truth and we do it in love.

Jesus then shifts metaphor saying in verse 14, you are the light of the world.

Now I want to make a couple of comments on what Jesus has said here because for some

of us a comment is uncomfortable.

That saying, that second personal pronoun is there again.

Notice it, Jesus says you, you are the light of the world.

But if we're honest with ourselves and I always think we should be, we know that if we really

assess ourselves by the standards of let's say the Beatitudes, we know that there is

no light that comes from in and of ourselves, just the opposite.

We are the poor in spirit.

So what is Jesus saying here?

Well for this to be really understood, we have to understand what Jesus is saying here

in its wider biblical context because light is one of scriptures most common symbols and

Jesus's original Jewish audience who knew the Hebrew scriptures would have known that.

For example in the Psalms, God is revealed as light over and over again and that his

very word, his very word is a lamp unto our feet.

And Jesus as we have seen in the prophecy given by Isaiah which Matthew said was fulfilled

by the coming of Jesus into this world, shows us that Jesus was the coming light that dawned

and Jesus will even go on to say in John 8-12 that I am the light of the world.

That's the thing that we come to understand in regards to the whole council of scripture

and it's this.

We the human race, we're in the dark but God, well here's the one who came into our world

and here's the one who is the light of all people and so as we believe the gospel and

turn to him and not just listen to his word but obey what it says, we are in a very real

sense as the disciples of Jesus, the light of this world.

The apostle Paul puts it like this in Ephesians 5 verses 8-13, we heard it before.

Ephesians 5:8–13

You were once darkness but now you are light in the Lord.

Live as children of light for the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth and

find out what pleases the Lord, have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness

but rather expose them.

Hear what's being said here church, God never left his children in the dark but became the

man Jesus Christ.

He came into our world not just to show us the way but to save us, to transform us and

make us light in the Lord as Paul puts it and because of the awesome transforming work

of God on our behalf, we are able to live as children of light or as Jesus puts it here,

the light of the world.

That's what we are because of Jesus, we are like a light bulb that has been switched on

in a dark room to show it for what it really is, a place that is lost and full of people

who are lost and poor in spirit.

Now many of you might be aware that an incredible event happened this week where Perth came

under the shadow of the moon and that happened because the moon came between us and the sun

which caused an eclipse which just sounds so exciting right?

So exactly 11.21 on Thursday we got our kids ready to witness this incredible event and

I must confess I was a little bit excited about this as well.

And so without looking at the sun we stood outside and waited for this massive eclipse

to take place.

Now church I don't want to be cynical or anything but I told you what a let down.

I mean I was expecting something like a biblical event where it was so dark that you would

call day night and I may have described it to my children like that as well.

So when the sun was eclipsed by the moon and it was still brighter than an overcast day

we were all pretty disappointed.

I might say I was the most disappointed.

Such is the power of the sun.

It's so bright that even if the moon covers 75% of its light the earth is hardly affected

by it.

That's what Jesus is getting about, talking about when he says a town built on a hill

cannot be hidden verse 14.

He's saying that such light radiates from the people of God either individually or corporately

as the church that when it does come in contact with the darkness of this world the light

that we radiate is impossible to ignore.

Because we as the disciples of Jesus live in such a way that it's like trying to not

notice a city in the middle of nowhere.

Jesus goes on neither to people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.

Either they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In other words that light, that light that Jesus by his work has brought us into is going

to shine and people of this world they're going to notice it.

And yes, yes this world seems so dark at times.

Such black in some cases.

But like an eclipse on a beautiful autumn day that darkness isn't going to really overcome

that light.

And believe it or not though we might not see it right now what we do in this generation,

what we do where God has us right now as individuals and as grace Christian church and the wider

body in whole with our very lives in response with what God has called us to do drastically

impacts the world around us.

That's because our lives are a living testimony to those in the world who don't have what

we possess.

That's why Jesus goes on to say in verse 16 in the same way let your light shine before

others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.

This morning church we have seen that we are called to be so much more than just nice polite

people in this world.

So we've been called by the living God and commissioned to be the salt and light of the

world.

As we've seen this morning salt and light are both effective commodities.

That's because they change the environment into which they're introduced.

It may be argued that salt and light have complementary effects.

The influence of salt is negative.

It hinders bacterial decay.

The influence of light is positive.

It illuminates the darkness.

This means that the influence of us on society, us here this morning on this society, this

community is intended by Jesus to be both negative, checking the spread of evil by the

way we live out our faith and positive promoting the truth and especially speaking the gospel

to people.

Meaning that wherever you find yourself in whatever context you're in you are there for

a purpose.

You're not to ignore people driving through the so-called red lights.

We're to engage.

Some of you might be wondering here this morning, Michael how on earth am I meant to preach

the gospel and teach others about the Bible?

This is the thing brothers and sisters, salt and light are such incredibly common things

in this world.

And I think that's what we're meant to see in all of this.

God uses the common things of this world to do incredible things.

Salt preserves and light reveals things that might be lurking in the dark.

And it's as we not withdraw from the world but engage with it with our words and with

our very lives that have been transformed by the work of our Lord and Saviour that we

will see the effect of God take place.

Let's pray.

Father, we have heard this morning from this pulpit a prayer to you that has gone to your

throne room because of your assurance that there are governments that like Psalm 2 warns

that are trying to cast off your bonds and throw your cords aside.

There is a great warning in that Psalm that you laugh at them at those efforts and that

you will put them in confusion into derision Lord and we are seeing that in this world.

Governments, councils, kings, governors that are trying to cast you aside and Father it

is terrifying but we thank you for your word that you have revealed to us that you are

the King of Kings, you are the Lord of Lords and that we aren't to hide away but to be

bold in our faith, to speak truth and to love as you have loved us with a self-sacrificial

love.

Father, we are keenly aware that some of us will be mocked, cancelled, fired.

Lord, I don't know what you have called this church too but Father we are keenly aware

that this world is not loving and wanting to pat the church on the back.

So Lord would you give us strength because we never want to bow the knee to this world

but Father to follow you wherever it may take us.

We ask Lord that you would use us individually as your servants, as your family but that

you would use us as a church, that we would never compromise on truth, that we would love

the people you send to us whoever they may be and that that word, the gospel invites

us to come as we are but not to stay as we are.

We pray that this place would be Christ-centred, gospel-focused and that you would have your

way with us.

We ask for this in the precious name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.