Salt And Light Text: Matthew 5:13-16 Series: Sermon on the Mount [#4] Pastor Lyle L. Wahl October 1, 2017 Theme: Believers Are Salt And Light In This World. Introduction Last time we concluded the first section of the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes describe the character of people who are in the kingdom of God and truly living the life of the kingdom. Jesus beginning with these underscores the concern of God first of all for who we are and then for what we do, our work. Today, in these first verses following the Beatitudes, Jesus begins to move on from character to the effect of that character in our daily lives. As we will see, He is still speaking about character, but He is stressing the effect or the influence of our character. In chapter 5 verses 13-16 He talks about salt and light, and He tells that believers are salt and light in this world. The Privilege. Jesus tells us that as His followers we have a great privilege. One part of the great privilege Christians have is that we are salt. In verse 13 Jesus said, You are the salt of the earth. Please note, Jesus did not say, You can be, should be, must be salt. Yet I suspect many Christians think this is a can be, a should be, or a must be truth. But Jesus said, You are salt. Being the salt of the earth is a part of who and what you are if you are a Christian. It is part of being recreated in Christ, of being a new creation in Him. As the apostle Paul
wrote, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 1 This is an amazing truth. It also can be a mind-boggling and even troubling truth. To get a good handle on this truth, let s begin with the basics. Think about salt in the ancient world for a moment. Salt was widely used as it is today, and more valuable because it was more difficult and expensive to obtain. Roman soldiers sometimes were paid, at least in part, with salt, or part of their pay was designated as salt money, so they could buy salt. This salt money is the word from which we get our word salary. It became a picture word or metaphor for a person s pay. The phrase not worth his salt was originally used of deadbeat soldiers. They were not worth their salary, their salt, their pay. We see this use of salt for pay in the Old Testament as well. The book of Ezra records the Jewish people coming back to their land. Some of their opponents complained about them to the Persian king, prefacing their complaint by identifying themselves as those who receive support from the king more literally they said the palace s salt is our salt, or we eat of the palace s salt. Their point to the king was that since we are your officials and you pay our salaries we are trying to protect your honor and kingdom (although they really were looking out for themselves and their interests). 2 Now think about some of the literal, actual uses and effects of salt both then and now. Salt is used as a preservative, being rubbed on meat and fish to preserve it. It is used as seasoning, to give flavor. I was glad when a doctor told me early this year that although we ve been told for years to watch our consumption of salt, I don t need to worry about it. A bit of salt gives taste to food! Then salt is used to purify. A bit of salt added to murky water can help separate the unwanted particles and make the water more drinkable. And, of course, salt is also an agent to stimulate thirst. So, with all of that, what does Jesus mean when He tells us that believers, all believers by their nature are the salt of the earth? It seems to me that Jesus did not narrow down the meaning because He intended us to see the broad range of applications from this figure of speech. As the salt of the earth Christians, He tells us, have a preserving effect on this sinful, decaying world, give others the flavor of life as God intended it to be, help purify the people around them, and create a thirst for God. 2
Before we go any farther, I must point out that Jesus is not just talking about Christians as a whole, or church organizations, but He was speaking to and about individual believers each believer, every believer, about you and me. Do you really grasp what a great privilege you have being God s salt in this world? You were radically changed, recreated in Christ Jesus to have a preserving effect on this sinful, decaying world around you, give others around you the flavor of life as God intended it to be, to help purify people around you, create a thirst for God. Yes! You are the salt of the earth! Another part of the great privilege we have is that we are light. Jesus used two familiar pictures that were seen together as being important: salt and light. A first century writer thought that nothing is more beneficial than salt and sun, than salt and light. 3 So when Jesus linked salt and light, He painted a picture that was familiar, that people could easily see and grasp. Verse 14. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (14-16). John s gospel tells us that Jesus is the light who has come into the world, that He shines in the darkness and is the light of men. 4 Then in the same gospel Jesus states, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. 5 Light reveals things. If you go into a room at night with the lights off you can bump into things, even hurt yourself because you can t see the dangers. As well, in that room you will not be able to see it as it really is, to appreciate the features and furnishings because you are in the dark. Jesus is the Light, and being recreated in His image believers are now the light of the world, as Jesus tells us in verse 14. After His Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem, Jesus taught the people, at one point saying, While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light. 6 The people listening to Jesus were very familiar with the fact that they were to be God s light in and to the world. God told Israel long before through the prophet Isaiah that they were to be a light to the Gentiles, to all the other people of the world (42:6; 59:6). 3
Yes, we are the light of our world. God works in and through us to radiate His light the light of who He is, His truth, love, grace and mercy. Light that reveals sin and evil for what it really is, light that reveals God as He is, light that points the way to God, light that reveals what life with God is like. Yes, you are the light of the world! Believers are salt and light in the world. What a privilege! The Process. Living this effectively is not a passive process, but active. We turn now to that active process. First, to be effective salt and light we need to have contact with the source. As I ve already pointed out, believers are God s salt and light in this world because we are recreated in Christ Jesus. It is not part of who we are by birth. It is Jesus s life in us, it is our new nature from Him that makes us God s salt and light. And since the source of salt and light of verses 13-14 is Jesus, this new nature is lived effectively through ongoing, vital contact with Him. Jesus uses a different picture in John chapter 15 verse 5 to make this clear, I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. Without vital contact with Christ we cannot accomplish anything for God. We may accomplish things for an organization, for ourselves, but without vital contact with Christ we cannot accomplish anything for God. Again, after His resurrection and just before He ascended to heaven, Jesus said, you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. 7 Yes, vital contact the Holy Spirit within us. Effectively living out our new nature requires ongoing, vital contact with Jesus through prayer, the scriptures, faith and obedience. These elements are basic and very familiar to us, and yet they can be ignored. Sometimes they get out of balance. The desire for a special experience or closeness to God can lead to going down a path that contradicts the Bible. The emphasis on the Word, the Bible can become a mechanical, intellectual pursuit without engaging our whole being. Then there is the constant danger of not putting into practice what we learn in the Bible. 4
Effectively living out our new nature requires this ongoing vital contact with Jesus through prayer, the scriptures, faith and obedience. It requires ongoing dependence on God and the power of the Holy Spirit within us to clearly, effectively live out the characteristics of kingdom living, the Beatitudes, and so be effective salt and light. We ve heard this many, many times for good reason it is essential. The process of being effective as salt and light also requires contact with the world. Verse 15. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven (15-16). While Jesus speaks specifically of light here, it also applies to believers being salt. Think about effective contact of salt and light. Salt, as a preservative, has to be rubbed into the meat; as seasoning it must be sprinkled on the food, sitting in the salt shaker doesn t help; to purify it has to be applied; to create a thirst it has to be given. Then light has to be lit or turned on and uncovered to be seen, to be effective. Both salt and light are useless in fulfilling their function without contact. Christians as the salt and light of God in this world must have contact with the world to be effective. We cannot withdraw or isolate ourselves from the world and be effective. We don t have to live in an isolated or far-flung monastery to isolate ourselves. We can gather together like this, think about, pray for our world, decry sin and evil, and stop there. Stopping there would not be having real, meaningful contact with the world, the unsaved people around us. It takes contact with the world to be effective as God s salt and light. And yes, as its been said, there needs to be contact without contamination being in the world without being stained by its influence, by compromise and sin. It begins as we interact with, participate with people around us, never treating this activity or any person as just a project, but having a genuine interest and involvement. That continues with developing a genuine and meaningful relationship with people. All throughout this as we live out kingdom qualities or the character of Christ, people will see evidence of God and His truth through us. This is critical for us individually and as a church. To be effective salt and light requires contact with people around us. 5
The process of being effective as God s salt and light in this world requires vital contact with the Source and vital contact with the world. Believers are salt and light in the world. The Problem. All of this is great, isn t it! But, there is a problem. You see, salt can become contaminated, or lose its saltiness. Verse 13. You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Those who taken chemistry might raise a question here. After all, salt is a very stable substance. Let s begin with looking at salt losing its flavor, or saltiness (NIV), or becoming tasteless (NASB). The word originally had the idea of being made or shown to be foolish. That may sound strange at first. Then it was used in a variety of ways, including becoming tasteless. You see, the general idea was being worthless for the intended purpose or use. For example, Willie, if your truck doesn t run it is foolish in that it does not fulfill its purpose. It s worthless as a means of transportation. In the same way salt is worthless if it is not salty. You still may ask, How does this picture fit with the reality that salt is a stable substance? Salt in that day was not refined as it is today. It often was contaminated with other substances which in some cases could make it unuseable for its intended purpose. Then too there are some historical records of this unrefined salt being stored improperly in barns or sheds resulting in the salt of that material leaching out into the ground. Then that now useless salt residue was shovelled out of storage into the street where it would, of course, be trampled underfoot by people. As we live in the world we can lose the effectiveness of being God s salt. How? First, sin contaminates and stains. It diminishes our effectiveness as salt. So we are told in James chapter 1 verse 27 to keep ourselves unspotted or unstained (NASB) by the world. While God gives us richly all things to enjoy, 8 as Paul wrote, we are not to be focused on them, not to be devoted to them, not to love them. That s what the apostle John told us, Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 9 Love for this world and its things contaminates. 6
So also compromise and conformity to the world has the same negative effect. The familiar words of Romans chapter 12 verse 2 tell us, do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. These reminders show us how great and serious a problem it is to become contaminated, to lose our tang as God s salt. While it is true that none of us are perfect, yet God s call is to keep that vital contact with Him so that we are holy as He is holy. So, with the apostle Paul, we need to keep our eyes focused on Christ, on His character and kingdom and then to press on in our walk of faith. 10 A second part of the problem is that light can be hidden. Look at verse 14. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. I think we all would agree that it is foolish to turn on a light, and then put a garbage can over it to cover it. Why would you do that? Question: How can your light be hidden? Who can hide your light? Think about that. Satan and his forces cannot hide your light. The unbelieving world cannot hide your light. The fact is that only you and I can hide our light. We can do that by fear of criticism, rejection and persecution. This is another reason for having a handle on absorbing and integrating in our hearts the truth about persecution Jesus gave us in verses 10-12 that we looked at last time. We also hide our light by our sin, our love for the world and its things, by compromise and conformity. The words of a chorus state the positive, This little light of mine, I m going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I m going to let it shine. This little light of mine, I m going to let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine! 11 We have the great privilege of being God s salt and light in this world. He has provided a process for us to be effective, but we also have to be aware of the problem of our effectiveness being contaminated, of being diminished. 7
The Purpose. Why is all of this so important? It is important because of the purpose of our being salt and light. Let s go to the last verse of this section, verse 16. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. First, live so that people can clearly see your good works. The word good which is used here has at its root the meaning of beauty. Your beautiful works. The beauty, the goodness is according to God s standards, what is truly good and beautiful. And there is even more than the works themselves. We are to reflect the beauty of Jesus to the world. And old chorus sings, Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wonderful passion and purity. O, Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine, till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me. 12 People are to see our good works, the fruit of our character not so we are noticed, not so that we receive attention and praise, but so they see beyond us to God, and He then is glorified. Yes, as I have noted several times, shining as lights in our dark, sinful world will lead to criticism, rejection and even persecution. But even so verse 16 is true. Look at it again. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. The apostle Peter picks up this truth as he writes, that our conduct [is to be] honorable among the Gentiles [that is, those who do not believe], that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. 13 Yes, sometimes we may shine our own light and people respond positively to us and not God. That always is a danger, and sometimes it may be difficult to distinguish whether we are truly shining for Jesus or ourselves. We are given examples of godly people in the Bible and our own world to help us here, to show us what godliness looks like in real life. We are to follow their example. Their example of living by faith in God when they find themselves in a situation where God s directions don t seem to make sense, which we can see in Abraham. Their example of patiently enduring tragedy and so letting their light shine for God as Job did. Their example of experiencing the joy of success and victory and letting their light shine as we see in King David. And on the list goes. True godliness points people to praise God, not the godly person. 8
It is through the faithfulness of living as God s salt and light for His glory, it is living for Him and speaking about Him to others that people are drawn to God, accept Jesus, enter and join us in living in the kingdom. The purpose of you and I being God s salt and light in the world is to glorify God and that others too will glorify [our] Father who is in heaven. Believers are salt and light in the world. Conclusion. How are we doing practically, in the routine days, in being effective salt and light of God in our world? Are we quickly, easily, clearly seen as God s salt and light? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, told the story of a joke played on him in Paris. He took a taxi from the train station to his hotel. When he paid and tipped the driver, the driver said, Thank you, Sir Arthur. Sir Arthur had not identified himself, and so he asked, How do you know my name? The driver replied, Well, I have seen in the papers that you were coming from the south of France to Paris. Your general appearance told me that you were English. Your hair has clearly been last cut by a barber in the south of France. I put these things together and concluded at once that it was you. Sir Arthur was amazed. He said, That is very remarkable! And you had no other evidence to go on? The cab driver confessed, Nothing except the fact that your name is on your luggage. 1 4 My question is, would it take a Sherlock Holmes to discover that you and I are God s salt and light? Or is it clearly, easily visible to all? In the next quiet moments with God, thank Him that by His grace you are His salt and light. Begin the process of examining how effective you are. Do you have a sharp tang, is your light shining brightly? Confess, clear up any compromise and contamination. Ask God to help you keep in continual vital contact with Him, and have contact without contamina- 9
tion with the world of lost and needy people. Ask God to let the beauty of Jesus be seen in you so that people you know, you meet will glorify Him. 1 2 Corinthians 5:17. 2 Ezra 4:14. 3 Pliny. Natural History. 31.102. <http://www.masseiana.org/pliny.htm#book%20xxxi>. Accessed 26 September 2017. 4 John 1:4, 5; 3:19. 5 John 8:12. 6 John 12:36. 7 Acts 1:8. 8 1 Timothy 6:7. 9 1 John 2:15. 10 Philippians 4:13. 11 Albert Orsbon & Harry Dixon Loes. this Little Light Of Mine. Public Domain. 12 Albert Orsborn & Bentley DeForest Ackley. Let The Beauty Of Jesus Be Seen In Me. Salvationist Publishing & Supplies. 13 1 Peter 2:12. 14 Account from John Dickson Carr, The Life of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1949. Retrieved from The Ottawa Journal (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), 18 June 1949, page 18. <https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/50004295/>. Accessed 29 September 2017. Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 2017, Lyle L. Wahl 10