Last week, we studied the Beatitudes, the blessings of Kingdom living in Matthew 5:1-12. <\/p>\n
Today, we\u2019ll be looking at Mathew 5:13-16, which as Dr. Danny Akin says, \u201cflows naturally out of the Beatitudes.\u201d For as he says it is \u201ctaking on and exhibiting the character of the Beatitudes that makes it possible for us to be salt and light on the earth\u201d <\/p>\n
While the Beatitudes describe the inner character and blessed state of those who follow Jesus as King, these next verses describe how we are to live as Kingdom people outwardly in this world.<\/p>\n
How are we to live as Kingdom people? What does Jesus have to say about this? In the gospel of Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus used the two powerful metaphors of salt and light to call His disciples to faithfully bear witness of His transforming power by living as Kingdom people.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13196,"template":"","meta":{"audio":"https:\/\/wccsermonaudio.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/03302025.mp3","video-id":"1070871755","notes":"https:\/\/www.eastgate.church\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2-Living-As-Kingdom-People-Matthew-5.13-16-033025.pdf","scripture_reference":"Matthew 5:13-16","transcript_status":"published","transcript_text":"
Good morning, church. It\u2019s good to see all of you here. This morning, we're continuing our series entitled, \u201cKingdom Living.\u201d We're going through the three chapters that we find in Matthew, chapter five through seven, in a sermon series based on the Sermon on the Mount. Many have described the Sermon on the Mount as the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher Who ever lived.<\/p>\n
Certainly, I agree with this. You might consider these three little chapters as the concise summary of what it looks like for Kingdom citizens to live as Christians in this world. It's an important message that we're studying together.<\/p>\n
It was first called the Sermon on the Mount by Augustine of Hippo, who noted the description in Matthew 1:1, which reads like this, Matthew 5:1 (ESV) \u201cSeeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him and he opened his mouth to teach.\u201d You'll notice that He was on a mountain.The traditional location of the Sermon on the Mount is just on the Northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.<\/p>\n
This is the location, the traditional location of the Sermon on the Mount. You'll notice the kind of natural amphitheater shape of this area where the people would be able to be seated and they would be able to see Jesus; the Mount is right up here. They would be all along this area; it was like a natural amphitheater where they could hear and see Jesus.<\/p>\n
The Mother of Constantine was building churches on every site and if you visit Israel, you'll see a church built on every site that you find in the Bible. She had a church built there. If you go today, it's been rebuilt because I think the original one was destroyed by fire. It's the Church of the Beatitudes, a beautiful church, and it's built on the traditional location where Jesus preached.<\/p>\n
It's important that we ask these kinds of questions when we're studying God's Word, questions like, \u2018Where did this happen? How did this happen? What are the details?\u2019 I think it's always important. The Bible is about real people that took place in real history and in real places.<\/p>\n
That's the reason we refer to these things now. Living as God's people today, as we're looking at our message today, it reminds me of what Scottish theologian Sinclair Ferguson writes. He says, \u201cThe sermon is a description of the lifestyle of those who belong to the Kingdom.\u201d This sermon is not how to become a Christian, because we can't, by living this way, somehow earn it. Because it's impossible to live it out by earning it.<\/p>\n
Jesus is the only one Who has lived it perfectly. So, it's instead a description of those who have humbly come to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. They've counted Him king of their life, they've submitted their life to Him. And this is what it looks like to live as those who have Christ living in them. And so that's really what this sermon is about.<\/p>\n
That's why we call it \u201cKingdom Living.\u201d We've been giving out books to those of you who came in today. I hope you picked up a copy as you were coming in. We printed this little booklet so you could save all your notes during this sixteen-week series. We did write an introduction at the beginning to help you go deeper in your study.<\/p>\n
I hope you'll take advantage of that. Now, last week we studied the first twelve verses of Matthew 5 and we studied what traditionally has been called the Beatitudes, the eight blessings that Jesus opens up with. My friend, Dr. Danny Akin, rightly says that today's message flows naturally out of the Beatitudes. Those of us that are Kingdom citizens live under the blessing of God, under a state of joyful contentment and favor from God. Those of us like that now are to follow this instruction of what He says today.<\/p>\n
If you think about the Beatitudes as inward character traits: meekness, peacemaker, hungry for and thirsting for righteousness\u2026 These are inner Christian character traits. He says, \u201cYou are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world,\u201d which is more outward. This is living for Christ out loud in the public sphere. I wonder today, do you struggle with that?<\/p>\n
Do you struggle with how to live your faith in front of others publicly? Do you struggle with that? Indeed, today we'll often hear someone say, \u2018You know, I just think that religion's a personal matter. We should keep that to ourselves. That's not for polite conversation with other people.\u2019<\/p>\n
We are encouraged by people of that way of thinking, to keep it to ourselves. Indeed, many have tried to remove all vestiges of Christianity from the public sphere, somehow thinking that we don't need to be talking about our faith there. This has caused Christians, more and more I think, to be silent and to live a dual lifestyle. See if this sounds familiar: So, you live one way at church.<\/p>\n
Oh, yeah, glory hallelujah. We're singing, we're happy, we're studying God's Word. Then, you go to work tomorrow and you live a different way, you speak a different way. You have one version of yourself that goes to church and believes in God and another version of yourself that goes to school as a student, a teacher, at work or with your neighbors.<\/p>\n
There's a version of yourself that goes to your small group during the week and studies and prays together. There\u2019s another version that you take shopping to Walmart. There's kind of a schism between your two selves. But Jesus has something to say about that. I think He really wants us to live one life the same on the inside as we are on the outside, living for Him.<\/p>\n
Wouldn't that be great? Wouldn't you like to live like that? That's what we're talking about today. I wonder what Jesus has to say about this, because He has something to say. Are you ready to hear it?<\/p>\n
Today, as we look at Matthew, chapter three, Jesus used two powerful metaphors, the metaphor of salt and of light, to describe and to call His disciples to faithfully witness His transforming power as kingdom people. I believe we can live as kingdom people in such a way that our lives become an outward witness to the world. How can we do this? Well, the text gives us two ways that we can faithfully live as Christ's kingdom people. So let's dig in.<\/p>\n
Matthew 5:13-16 (ESV) 13 \u201cYou are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. 14 \u201cYou are the light of the world. <\/p>\n
A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.\u201d This is God's word.<\/p>\n
Amen. We're looking for two ways to live faithfully as kingdom citizens, as Christ's kingdom people. Here's the first way:<\/p>\n
Portray the gospel to a world in decay. Be salt. Jesus described His disciples, those that He had declared this blessing over, with two rich and powerful metaphors, \u201csalt and light.\u201d I'm thankful to Danny Akin's commentary as I was developing this message for some thoughts about how to develop it. Here's what he writes about this sermon.<\/p>\n
He says, \u201cThose who love and follow King Jesus are the only real salt this world will ever taste and the only authentic light it will ever see! Jesus\u2019s words in these verses take it as an undeniable truth that we live in a decadent, decaying, dark world. Where there is decay, we need salt. Where there is darkness, we need light. We, the citizens of the kingdom of heaven, are God\u2019s plan to stop death and stamp out darkness.<\/p>\n
This plan finds its crescendo in the last words of the last chapter in this Gospel with what we call the Great Commission. To the nations we go as salt and light. That's what I was thinking about when I was writing this message. I was thinking, you know, most weeks, and some of y'all know my habit, I tend to find three points. It's about the amount of information I could share in a 40-minute interval.<\/p>\n
But as I was looking at this, it had to be two because you have to let the text speak for itself and Jesus makes two points, doesn't He? It's very clear. Then, while thinking about it, well, I have to decode these metaphors. What does it mean to be \u201csalt?\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you need to get inside of a salt shaker? No. What does it mean? We have to think this out a little bit. We have to \u201cunpack\u201d what Jesus means here. First, I would point out to you the kind of intensity and emphasis that Jesus puts here in the Sermon on the Mount.<\/p>\n
He says, \u2018Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are\u2026 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.\u2019 But then, as He was getting towards the end of those 12 verses, He says, \u201cBlessed are you when you are persecuted.\u201d Remember when He switched and started pointing at people and saying, \u201cyou.\u201d <\/p>\n
He's continuing it right here, except now, He does what in the Greek they call the emphatic use of the word, \u201cyou.\u201d You might be wondering, What do you mean by that, Gary? In other words, if we could literally see what the Greek says under here, it would sound like this, \u2018You, you are the salt of the earth.\u2019<\/p>\n
It would emphasize \u201cyou.\u201d He doesn't say that you will be the salt of the earth when you get to heaven or after you grow up more. He says, \u201cyou are.\u201d He doesn't say that you should be the salt of the earth, <\/p>\n
like it's something to work on. No. He says, \u201cYou are the salt of the earth.\u201d This is familiar language for those of us who have studied the Gospel of John because Jesus described Himself this way. There are seven \u201cI am\u201d statements in the book of John. He says things like this, <\/p>\n
\u201dI, I am.\u201d It's the emphatic use of \u201cI\u201d in that case. \u201cI am the bread of life.\u201d \u201cI, I am the light of the world.\u201d \u201cI, I am the resurrection and the life.\u201d<\/p>\n
These are the statements. He has seven of them in the book of John. But now, He does something that surprises us. He says, \u201cYou, you are salt of the earth,\u201d as if it is a present condition already true in you, because Christ lives in you. So, let's think about this for a second.<\/p>\n
\u201dSalt of the earth.\u201d We use that phrase today. We learned it from Jesus. That's the origin of the phrase, except today, when we say it, we say something like, \u2018My grandparents;they're the salt of the earth.\u2019<\/p>\n
What we mean by that is that they probably work on a farm; they're hard working, they're humble, blue collar and probably honest. Those are the kind of things that we say when we say that somebody's the salt of the earth. But Jesus means so much more than that. To understand what \u201csalt\u201d means, we have to really see how salt is used in the scripture. In ancient days, they had no refrigeration in order to keep meat from decaying, from going bad.<\/p>\n
Salt is a very needed and essential ingredient for preserving food. After all, who doesn't like country ham, right? You have to have salt. I don't like it. It's too salty,<\/p>\n
somebody said. Okay, but most people like it, you know? This idea of salt is a preservative to keep things from decaying. That's one use you'll see in scripture during ancient times. Another use you'll see is that it had healing properties. Healing properties.<\/p>\n
In fact, when a baby was born, a newborn baby, they would rub its body with salt; it had a healing property. If you ever go to the beach and maybe you have some cuticles that are not looking so good, you can spend a couple of days at the beach in the salt water and wow, your fingers look a lot better. There's something about salt water that is healing. By the way, things just tend to taste better when you put a little salt on it, right? <\/p>\n
It enhances flavor. I could go on, by the way. Some of you should go ahead and say, \u2018Pray for the pastor; he's going to talk about salt for the whole sermon if we don't watch out,\u2019 because I've become somewhat of an expert on this topic.<\/p>\n
I have read too much about salt. I have studied this too much. There are over 14,000 uses for salt. It's amazing how many things.<\/p>\n
Salt is an essential to life. In fact, one of you, and I won't name her name, heard me talking about salt a couple of years ago and she thought, I need to add to the problem. She gave me a book; it's the history of salt. So, I read that book on the history of salt.<\/p>\n
Did you know the source of the word, salary, is salt? They paid the Roman soldiers, instead of in coin, they often paid them in salt.That's where we get the word, salary. I could go on.<\/p>\n
I could just wear you out with how much I've studied on salt. This is a rich word. Jesus says, \u2018you're the salt.\u2019 It's expensive. Have you ever seen or heard someone say, That fellas<\/p>\n
is not worth his salt.\u2019 That means he's worthless. He's not working hard to earn his salt. I could go on. I need to stop, don't I?<\/p>\n
What does He mean by, \u201cyou are the salt of the earth?\u201d Well, there's places in the Bible where we see that salt was added to the sacrifice. So, it has something to do with the sacrificial system. We see the word of God describe salt as connected to an everlasting covenant. When God speaks to Israel, He says, \u2018I have a covenant of salt with you, Israel.<\/p>\n
\u2019I will not go back on my word.\u2019 He says to David, \u2018I have a covenant of salt with David and your sons, that you'll always have a son that sits on my throne.\u2019 So, it has to do with an everlasting covenant. I mean, I could just keep going. I need to stop.<\/p>\n
One more thing I was thinking of about salt: did you know that on the Sabbath (which begins at 6pm on Friday and ends at 6pm on Saturday) in Jewish homes, they take bread and they dip it in salt as a reminder of the everlasting covenant they have with the Torah. That means salt's a pretty important metaphor. We probably need to stop talking about it now, though. Preservative, flavor, essential.<\/p>\n
Okay, let's \u201cunpack\u201d that. He says, \u201c...but if salt has lost its taste\u2026\u201d He seems to be really leaning into the flavor aspect there, wouldn't you agree? Verse 13 \u201c...but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?\u201d It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.\u201d <\/p>\n
You're the salt of the world, of the earth. You're supposed to taste, add flavor and a preserving aspect of righteousness in this world, which the world doesn't have because the world's dying. You're supposed to be the lifestyle, but if you're not living it out, then your witness is useless. You're not being Kingdom citizens. You're not living out who you are. It's almost like He describes it in an absurd way, \u201c...but if salt loses its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?\u201d Now I need to say something else about salt.<\/p>\n
Salt is a stable mineral. It tastes salty, it won't break down and it won't stop tasting salty. Now, it is water soluble. If you add water to it, it goes into the water. But then, if you put sunlight on it or heat, the water dissipates and the salt is back <\/p>\n
and if you taste it, it's salty again. So what is He talking about? Here's one possibility. Go ahead and put this photo up. I've got this big hunk of salt from the Dead Sea in my office.<\/p>\n
I tell the kids when they come in there, \u201cWould you like to see part of Lot's wife?\u201d They'll say, \u201cOh, no!\u201d I got this from the Dead Sea. It's a big old hunk of salt. The primary location that the Israelites got salt was from the Dead Sea. It's one of the greatest deposits of salt anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n
But the thing is, it has a lot of impurities in it; they didn't have refineries in those days. If it got wet, the real sodium chloride, (NaCl for you students that are studying chemistry)<\/p>\n
leeches out and goes into the water. Then, all that's left is this tasteless group of minerals that are not salt and they don't taste salty. So, that's one possibility that Jesus was talking about. When the saltiness leeches out, you can't make it salty again. The other possibility, though, is true salt will always taste salty and to even imagine it not being salty is absurd.<\/p>\n
I could take it either way. I think when we look at the next one, we'll see another kind of unbelievable absurdity. That light could somehow be hidden. Why would it do that?<\/p>\n
But, let's stay on salt a little longer. Here's something that Paul says to the church at Colossae about being salty. He says,
\nColossians 4:5-6 (ESV) 5 \u201cWalk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.\u201dLet your speech, especially with outsiders who are outsiders outside the faith,<\/p>\n
have the flavor of salt. So what's that? The flavor of Jesus? It\u2019s the flavor of being a kingdom citizen, so that your lifestyle \u201cleaks\u201d Jesus, with <\/p>\n
just the character traits of how you live and the decisions you make. Jesus, in the book of Mark, is talking about the same topic here. He says, Mark 9:50 (ESV) \u201cSalt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.\u201d He seems to be connecting one of the character traits from the Beatitudes, saying peacemakers and being reconciled to one another.<\/p>\n
Another is connected to salty living, to living in such a way that people get a taste of the kingdom by observing your life, that your life is portrayed by your character, the way you respond to life's storms and difficulties so that people look at you and say. \u2018You seem to always have a smile on your face. You seem to always be hopeful. I really admire the way you're raising your children. The way you talk about your spouse is so loving.\u2019<\/p>\n
At first, maybe, because of your \u201csalty\u201d way of life, they're offended by your righteousness. But, as soon as one of them gets in a little bit of trouble, instead of going to their own friends, they'll come to you and they'll ask, \u2018Why are you like that? Can you tell me what you know?\u2019 Jesus says that you already are \u201csalty\u201d if you have Me in you,<\/p>\n
so let Me be the mark of your life. The character traits of Jesus. Now I want to talk about salt like this - salt is not sweet, but it is good. Okay?<\/p>\n
Salt is not sweet. Now you can live without sugar. You think you can't, but you can live without sugar. It's not essential to life. In fact, I did some research on this topic and you don't have to have sugar in your diet.<\/p>\n
In order to have sugar, your body will make its own sugar. Guess where it gets it? It makes glucose by burning fat cells. This seems like a win win to me. So sugar as a dietary supplement is not a necessity.<\/p>\n
However, salt is a necessity for life. Your body has to have it. It can't make its own. It's necessary. Salt is an essential nutrient.<\/p>\n
A complete lack of salt could cause you to die. You need salt. It's essential. You have to have it. As the church is salty in a city it is essential to the health of a city.<\/p>\n
Do you know that? Think about this story back in the book of Genesis where the Lord came and talked to Abram. He said to Abram, \u2018I'm about to go down into Sodom and Gomorrah and judge Sodom and Gomorrah.\u2019 Do you remember the story in the book of Genesis? Abram says, \u2018Hey, wait a minute.<\/p>\n
My nephew, Lot and his wife and daughters live down there. Lord, You're a righteous judge. If there were fifty righteous people down there, would you still judge Sodom and Gomorrah?\u2019 God tells him, \u2018No, not for fifty\u2019s sake.<\/p>\n
For fifty\u2019s sake, I would preserve Sodom and Gomorrah. I wouldn't judge.\u2019 Abram then asks, \u201cLord, what about for forty\u2019s sake?\u201d \u201cFor forty\u2019s sake, I'll not judge it.\u201d \u201cLord, <\/p>\n
I'm sorry to keep interrupting You, but for thirty\u2019s sake?\u2019 \u2018For thirty\u2019s sake, I will not judge it.\u2019 He gets him all the way down to ten. \u2018Lord, please forgive me. I just have to ask, if you find ten righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah,<\/p>\n
would You hold back Your judgment? He goes, \u2018For ten\u2019s sake, I'll not judge it.\u2019 He couldn't find ten. But here's a principle I want to draw out from that: If He could have found ten, they would have had a preserving saltiness.<\/p>\n
They would have had a witness in that place where God would still be waiting to see how many people would come to Him. I think that's what our church is supposed to be in this city and not just our church, but all the churches in this city that are preaching the gospel of Jesus. We're to have a preserving, portraying love of Jesus, the salt of Jesus to this city, and to be real with people about what that means. Martin Luther emphasized that when we witness that denunciation and proclamation go hand in hand. <\/p>\n
He says this about salt. He says, \u201csalt has a bite.\u201d<\/p>\n
It's not sweet, it's salty. And so to live salty, your righteousness itself, by your very righteousness, will offend people because they will call you \u201cGoody two shoes.\u201d They'll call you. They'll look down on you. I've mentioned this last week when I was witnessing in my dormitory when I was in college.<\/p>\n
Some of the guys started calling me \u201cBilly Graham\u201d and making fun of me. Well, I like Billy Graham and that's not really persecution so much as that you won't get invited to all the cool parties. You might not get that promotion at work.<\/p>\n
You actually might not make an A. Instead you'll make a B in some class in school because your teacher doesn't like the way you live. It might cost you something to be salty, but salt has a bite. I think the way I'm talking about this maybe is best described by Ephesians 4:15, where it says, \u201cSpeak the truth in love.\u201d It's the right mixture.<\/p>\n
To live in a salty way means to live in a truthful way with people, but not forgetting to be loving. You are the salt of the earth. <\/p>\n
Ask yourself, are you being salt in your relationships? Are you being salty in the situations around you at work, at school or in your neighborhood? Are you standing firm for truth in places that others are compromising? When we embrace our identity as salt, we stop passively watching the world go by. We stop passively watching the world decay and run down.<\/p>\n
We start caring about being part of God's redemptive work. Our lives are to portray the life giving gospel to a world in decay. Here's the second word that Jesus gives to us today: <\/p>\n
Be salt. You are the salt. Then He says, \u201cYou are the light of the world. \u201d Be light. Now, <\/p>\n
how is light different from salt? We said salt preserves. Salt adds flavor. Salt has healing properties. We didn't go into all 14,000, but we touched on a few.<\/p>\n
What about light? Well, light reveals. Salt preserves and adds flavor, but light reveals and shows forth truth. Light causes people in darkness to be able to see.<\/p>\n
It causes blind people to be able to open their eyes. That's light. We see the word, \u201clight,\u201d four times in our final verses here, 14 through 16. It's in each of the verses 14, 15 and 16. The word in the Greek is ph\u014ds,<\/p>\n
if you are taking notes, it's where we get the word phosphorus, photosynthesis and a lot of other English words. ph\u014ds is really a great Greek word. Maybe you'll recognize it. It's in verse <\/p>\n
15, \u201cNor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.\u201d Nor do people light a \u201clampos.\u201d That one's pretty easy to access. \u201cNor do people light a lamp and then put it under a basket\u2026\u201d So, we see here that He says, \u201cYou are the light of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Remember what I talked about earlier from the book of John, that in the book of John, he used the emphatic use of \u201cI am, He says, the light of the world.\u201d In John 8:12 (ESV), Jesus spoke to them, saying, \u201cI am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.\u201d How remarkable, how stunning is the declaration that the one who says, I am the light of the world would then turn to you and I and say, you, you are the light of the world. How's this possible?<\/p>\n
It's only possible if the light of the world, by His Spirit, lives inside of you. Then you become one who reflects His light into a darkened world. That's how it's possible. Jesus has ascended back to the right hand of the Father. His plan for those that are walking in darkness today is that you and I, as witnesses, would bear this light.<\/p>\n
So, if being salty has to do with portraying and putting on display the character traits of a kingdom citizen, then being light has to do with proclaiming what it means to be a kingdom citizen, to bring people into the light. He says this, talking about this in verse 14, \u201cYou are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.\u201d Perhaps, He was thinking of the city of Jerusalem, which is up on the Temple Mount. From any direction that you're coming to Jerusalem, you have to go uphill to get there, especially, if you're coming from Jericho, it's uphill all the way up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
If you look at the Temple Mount during those days, everything was made with this white stone, this white marble. No matter the time of day, there was kind of a glow to it. Perhaps, this is what He had in mind when He was saying, \u201cA city on a hill cannot be hidden.\u201d We're to be like that. The church is to be like that.<\/p>\n
Verse 15, \u201cNor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.\u201d The word, \u201cbasket,\u201d has to do with a measuring basket. Some call it a \u201cbushel basket.\u201d In the King James, I think, it is actually translated as a \u201cbushel.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, it's dark in your house and you take the time to put some oil in your lamp and you light it. Then, you go and put a bushel basket over it. That's absurd. Why would you do that? What use would light be? It would be useless.<\/p>\n
Why would you do that? That's what He says. It's supposed to be something that you actually, instead of covering it up, supposed to put it on a stand. Put it up high so that it lights up the whole house; so that it gives light to all the house. How much light do you need before darkness begins to disappear?<\/p>\n
Just one light. Just one candle. Just one little light. One little lamp. Let's see if any of y'all went to Sunday school growing up.<\/p>\n
(Singing) \u201cThis little light of mine\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n
All right, kids, \u201c...hide it under a bushel, no! I'm gonna let it shine.\u201d Yeah. It's not just a kid's song.<\/p>\n
We're supposed to let our light shine. He says it's ridiculous that you would put it under a basket. No, put it on a stand. And then He says in verse 16, \u201cIn the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.\u201d When He says, \u201cothers,\u201d He means those outside of the kingdom of God, <\/p>\n
because the only salt in this world, the only light in this world for people outside the kingdom, is you. God doesn't have a plan B. The church is plan A. It's the only plan He has. He says that the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.<\/p>\n
The church is us. The church is you and I, with Christ in us and He says that you're the salt. You're the light and in this dark world, we are to be the source of light,<\/p>\n
of revelation about the Gospel. What happens when we do that? It says in verse 16, \u201cIn the same way, your light will shine before others, so that (that's a purpose clause;<\/p>\n
it's telling you the purpose) they may see your good works\u2026\u201d Instead of giving you credit for it, because it's so otherworldly, they'll give glory to God. Then, you become what He meant for you to be from creation, the \u201cimago dei,\u201d the image of God, reflecting the glory of God to a dark world, because the light you shine doesn't come from you. You're a reflection of His light to a dark world, and it causes people to glorify God.<\/p>\n
Jesus says in Mark 16:15 (ESV) And he said to them, \u201cGo into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.\u201d Go and be a light to the world. In the book of Philippians, Paul describes it like this. He says, Philippians 2:14-16 (ESV) 14 \u201cDo all things without grumbling or disputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, \u201d So in this dark world, this twisted world, this decaying world, instead of going around grumbling and complaining with the rest of the world, <\/p>\n
\u201camong whom you shine as lights in the world, 16 holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.\u201d Now, in the field of physics, the science of physics, we recognize and we learn that darkness is not a force. Darkness, in fact, is the absence of a force. It's the absence of light. Light, on the other hand, has measurable properties.<\/p>\n
For instance, you can measure its speed. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second. You can measure it. When you turn on a light, you don't have to watch your clock to see how long it's going to take for the room to brighten. No,<\/p>\n
it seems instantaneous. You don't have to watch it move; you turn on the light and it's instantaneous. Darkness is the absence of light. Light has its own properties.<\/p>\n
The minute a light is turned on, darkness vanishes instantly because darkness cannot resist light. And Jesus says,<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're the light of the world.\u201d May I say it another way, \u2018the world has no other light but you.\u2019 Jesus has chosen you, His church, to be the light of the world. The world will remain in darkness without you being the light, so why would you possibly even consider hiding the light of Jesus which lives in you?<\/p>\n
It's important because this world is spiritually in darkness, but we are the light of the world. Are you letting the light of Jesus shine from you? Are you the same everywhere you go? The same person you take to church?<\/p>\n
Is that the person you take to work, the person you take to school, so that you've got this wholeness? I mean, that with a \u201cwh.\u201d There's holiness which is set apart, but a \u201cwholeness\u201d to you. You're the same person, willing to talk about Jesus anywhere you are. In fact, it's on the tip of your tongue. Does your life match up with your story?<\/p>\n
In other words, \u2018does your walk and your talk line up, the walk being the salt and the talk being the light?\u2019 because your walk and your talk are to look like Jesus in this world. He is the head and we are the body. In this world, the hands of Jesus are ours. We have His hands.<\/p>\n
The feet of Jesus, that carries the gospel to the nations, are our feet. The voice of Christ is our voice. We're to say to ourselves, \u2018You are the salt. You are the light.\u2019 Our lives are to be a living proclamation of the Gospel to a world in darkness.<\/p>\n
Jesus calls us to live as kingdom people by being salt and light in this world. We are to portray the gospel of salt in a decaying world of light in a dark world. We are to reflect his glory so that God gets all the glory for how we live. Let's pray.<\/p>\n
Lord, I first of all want to pray for that person who's never come into the kingdom. They've never come into the kingdom of God. There is an entry point that's a narrow door. Jesus says, \u201cI am the way, I am the truth. I am the life.<\/p>\n
No one comes to the Father except by me.\u201d Jesus tells us He's the door. He says, \u201cI am the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
Have you ever come through the door? Have you ever said \u201cyes\u201d to Jesus? If that's you, my friend, you're seated here in this room or in the next room or maybe you're watching online. The Lord is listening.<\/p>\n
You can ask Him to come into your life. You can profess His name right now by praying to Him. Pray like this. Pray with me right where you are, \u201cDear Lord Jesus, I'm a sinner.<\/p>\n
I've been living in darkness,<\/p>\n
but I repent of my sin and I turn my life over to You. I believe You died on the cross for my sins, that You were raised from the grave and that You live today. Come and live in me. I invite You to be my king. I want You to be my King, my Lord and my Savior.<\/p>\n
I pray that You would adopt me into your family. I want to be a citizen of the kingdom, a child of God.\u201d If you're praying that prayer of faith, believing, He will save you. Others are here and you're a believer. You're a follower of Jesus, but have you lost your saltiness?<\/p>\n
Have you been hiding your light?<\/p>\n
Oh, Lord, we repent of that right now. Help us to be the same everywhere we go so that we live as salt and light in this decaying and dark world. In Jesus\u2019 Name, Amen.<\/p>\n","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"series":[2968],"scripture-book":[1307],"scripture-chapter":[1338],"speaker":[2007],"class_list":["post-13195","message","type-message","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","series-kingdom-living","scripture-book-matthew","scripture-chapter-1338","speaker-gary-combs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message\/13195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/message"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message\/13195\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13197,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/message\/13195\/revisions\/13197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13195"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=13195"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-book","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-book?post=13195"},{"taxonomy":"scripture-chapter","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/scripture-chapter?post=13195"},{"taxonomy":"speaker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.garycombs.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/speaker?post=13195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}