SALT AND LIGHT IN THE WORLD

Matthew 5:13-16

In the Bible many great metaphors are used to describe true believers - Sheep of Christ (John 10:27, 14-15); Branches of the Vine (John 15:5); Living Stones (1Peter 2:5); Royal Priesthood (1Peter 2:9). With regard to their lifestyle, they are Wise as serpents, harmless as Doves, (Matthew 10:16); good soldiers of Christ (2Tim.2:3-4). Then we come to Salt of the earth and Light of the world.  One of these metaphors, Light of the world, applies to Jesus Himself. In describing believers as Salt of the earth and light of the world, Jesus was prescribing to us, the kind of lifestyle expected of us. Now apart from being a condiment, salt was used in covenant making in the Old Testament, to symbolize the inviolability or sacredness or stability of the covenant. The true Christian has an inviolable, stable character which should shine forth as light.

We should not isolate these verses (Mat.5:13-16) from the rest of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12). They are firmly part of the great Sermon on the Mount. These verses are referring to true believers, who described as poor in Spirit, meek, mourn, peacemakers, pure in heart, hunger and thirst for righteousness, are persecuted for righteousness, are reviled and evil spoken of for the sake of Jesus Christ. These are the people Jesus was referring to as the salt of the earth and light of the world. We would like to explore this a little further and apply them to our own lives as Christians.

TRUE AND UNADULTRATED SALT OF THE EARTH

Mat.5:1-16; 1Peter 2:19, 21-23; Mat.5:44; Luke 6:28; Rom.12:14

Believers Called To Mourn

Believers Called To Meekness

Believers Called To Hunger For Righteousness

Believers Called To Be Merciful

Believers Called To Purity

Believers Called To Be Peacemakers

Believers Called To Endure Persecution for Christ’s Sake

Jesus is using salt here to illustrate the steadfastness of character of true believers. These are the people identified in the first 12 verses of the sermon on the Mount. These believers whether rich or poor are poor in spirit, they mourn, they are meek, they hunger and thirst after righteousness, they are merciful, they are pure in heart, they are peacemakers, they are persecuted for righteousness, and they are reviled and evil-spoken of for the sake of Christ. These are the people who are the salt of the earth – staying true to Christ in a world riddled with corruption.

 

Just take a look at the world today. Satan, sin, self, darkness, worldliness and corruption predominate among the peoples of the earth. God’s glory is insulted, Christ is rejected, the Holy Spirit is frustrated, God’ holy word of truth is cast down, repudiated and rejected. The Church is being treated as salt that has lost its flavour – cast out as useless, trampled by men everywhere.

Blessed are those who, seeing this spiritual poverty, mourn. They mourn for God’s glory, the mourn for the their sin and the sin of the Church. They mourn for cause of Christ which everywhere is being rejected. They mourn to see the Holy Spirit come back in power into the Church! These are the salt of the earth. Without meekness of spirit, it will be impossible for people to suffer the stiff opposition from the world today. True believers commit their affairs in the hand of Him who judges all (1Peter 2:19, 21-23).

True believers are both hungry and thirsty for righteousness, righteousness in thoughts, in words and in action; righteousness in behaviour; righteousness in the home, in the office, in school, and in public, and in the Church. Righteousness is doing things the right way, doing things God’s way, giving people what is their due, according to whether they are good or bad.

Jesus expects true believers to be merciful while living righteously! Righteousness means giving to everyone what they deserve. To be merciful means giving a person what they do not deserve. When righteousness demands justice and judgment, mercy provides forgiveness and forbearance. This is what Christ did on the Cross to procure mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation for lost humanity. And all who are true Christians are called to be like Christ (Phil.2:5-11).

Righteousness and mercy are attributes of God. God’s mercy is described as tender (Luke 1:78); plenteous (Psalm 86:5); great (1Kings 3:6); abundant (1Peter 1:3);and it is from everlasting to everlasting (Psalm 103:17). What a privilege to be given the grace to possess these qualities.

And now we come to one of the greatest inward qualities, purity. Blessed are the pure in heart Salt is pure when unadulterated.. Christians are pure when they maintain the Christ-like qualities and virtues imparted to them on salvation. We can impact the world when we remain pure. We can influence others when we remain true. We shine as lights to the world when our inner life is true, pure and holy.

TRUE AND UNVAILED LIGHTS IN THE WORLD

Believers As Living Epistles (2Cor.3:23)

Persevering In Well Doing In spite Of Opposition From Hell

Exhibiting Self-Denial in Contrast to The World’s Self-Indulgence

Exhibiting Heavenly Mindedness in Contrast to Worldly-Mindedness

Showing That Our Treasure is In Heaven in Contrast to Showing Their Treasure is On Earth

Showing Conformity To God’s Laws in Contrast to Their Shameless Violation of Them

Manifesting Faith In Christ In Contrast to Their Unbelief

Manifesting Submission to God’s Providential Dealings in Contrast to Rebellion against His Providence

True believers are the light of the world. Their inward life will shine forth outwardly as light. The lifestyle of the true believer cannot be mistaken. His inward virtues will shine through for all to see. Believers as light of the world have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph.5:11). Jesus our Saviour is the light of The world (John 9:5). The true believers are to be the light of the world, reflecting, not our own lights but the light of Christ (Phil.2:15).

Certain men of God stood out as light to their generations. Noah was a light to His generation. God said to Noah, “thee have I seen righteous…” (Gen.7:1). Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah were bright lights in the land of Babylon (Dan.1:8; 3:14-18). John the Baptist was a burning and shining light in the Land of Israel (John 5:33, 35).

Charles Finney said that the principal business of the Christian is to enlighten the world. Jesus told us to let that light so shine before men they would glorify our Father in heaven (Mat.5:16). This light means our good works, coming from the purity of heart within.

How can believers be the light of the world?

By being living epistles, written on the tables of the heart (2Cor.3:23); By persevering in well doing in spite of opposition from hell (Gal.6:9; 2Thes.3:13); by exhibiting self-denial in contrast to the world’s self-indulgence (Mat.16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23); by exhibiting heavenly mindedness in contrast to their worldly mindedness (Col.3:1-2); by manifesting faith in Christ in contrast to the world’s unbelief; and by total submission to God’s providential dealings in contrast to the world’s rebellion against God’s providence.

If we cannot do this, then there are two things to note: either we do not have the light of Christ or the light has gone off! It is dangerous to be in either of these cases. But we will carry on doing good works, denying ourselves for His sake, showing the mind of Christ in all things, knowing that our treasure is in Heaven where the Kingdom of Christ is. As the world sees our faith in Christ and our submission to His will, they will glorify our Father in Heaven (Mat.516).

THE PARADOX OF FLAVOURLESS SALT AND HIDDEN LIGHT

Is Your Christian Life Consistent With the light shown by Christ?

Where is Your Affection Fixed, in heaven or on earth (Col.3:2)?

What Virtues Do You Manifest/ or Lack (Gal.5:22-23, 2Peter 2:5-10)?

Can Others Tell By Observing/Interaction That You are a Christian (2Cor.2:14-16)?

Does Your Life Point People To or Away From Christ?

Do You Parade A Form Of Godliness without Its Power (2Tim.3:5)?

 

A paradox is an inconsistency, a contradiction, an absurdity, and an impossibility. It is not possible that salt should lose its flavour, if it is chemically consistent, if it is NaCl. Salt is not a mixture, but a chemically pure substance. If the chemical state is changed, then it is no longer salt (NaCl). With this in mind we look at the true Christian as the salt of the earth. The true Christian is to be stable in lifestyle as taught by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Mat.5:1-16)! If this lifestyle is not found in the Christian, then the world will have no use of the Christian!

A true Christian has a certain spiritual consistency which, if missing will make it impossible to be recognised as a Christian. The first of these qualities or virtues is love (Gal.5:22-23). Then we look at (2Peter 1:5-10). The Master says that without these qualities or virtues, the Christian is a barren hypocrite. When a believer begins to set his/her affections on the things on earth rather than in heaven (Colossians 3:1-8), he has become a mixed compound parading as salt. He has become a compromised, backslidden, worldly person parading as a Christian. The world has no use of such Christians. The world will walk all over such Christians. Their testimony is tainted. Their life does not reflect Christ. They are like salt which has lost its flavour.

To be cast out is to become useless for the Kingdom of God. To be trampled by men is to be treated as useless by the world! Oh how this reads like fulfilled prophecy in many parts of the world. O God help me not to be useless in the Kingdom of God. In Europe and many parts of the world, the Church is being trampled upon. In many cases the Church has lost its voice altogether. They can no longer reflect Christ nor represent Him. They are no longer a rebuke to the world. They can no longer help the world. Because they abhor the life of holiness, righteousness and purity; because they reject the truth of the word of God for error, they are unable to combat the corruption that is in the world. They are not the salt of the earth nor the light of the world.

And what about those who say that Christianity is only a thing of the heart? They are also a paradox. How can you light a lamp and hide it under drum or bucket?

If we have the consistency of salt, if we have true Christian character, then it cannot be hid. We will be what Christ says we are, a city built on a hill, like Jerusalem, set on mount Zion! The Christ life in us cannot be hid. It will manifest itself in thoughts, words and action. The Holy Spirit in us cannot be hid. The love and affection of Christ in us must find an outlet. We will love, we will help, we will support, we will pray, we will assist, we will serve, we will win souls.

 

But those who have become flavourless salt are tasteless. They are of no use to Christ and no use to the world! Describing them in another way Jesus compared tem to lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold. Jesus has warned He will spit them out of His mouth (Rev.3:14-20). The have the name, Christian, but they do not have the life(Rev.3:1-3).

Because these Christians parade a form of godliness without power, they cannot attract men to Christ. In fact they send men away from Christ by their blatant lifestyle of hypocrisy.

Saints of God, if the Church is thrown out and trampled by men as salt without flavour, it is our fault. We have not been like salt in character and integrity, we have not shone the light of Christ. Nothing can prevent us from being the salt of the earth and a light to the world but our own refusal to live by the good works fore-ordained for us (Ephesians 2:8-10).

The Holy Spirit has been given to us to reshape us, remould us into the character of Christ (Gal.5:22-23). This list is representative, not exhaustive. If we lack the Holy Spirit, God is more willing to pour out His Spirit upon us than any father is willing to give his child some nice gift (Luke 11:13). The word of God has been given to us. Eternal life has been imparted to us.

This coming year you will need to let your light so shine that men will see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven. You will need prove by your life that you have the true faith of Jesus. Will your integrity as sound Christian be seen this new year? Will corruption flee from your presence this new year? Will darkness be dispelled by your presence this new year? Will some sinner be won to Christ by your life this new year?

The communion we take today is like a covenant with Christ, where we identify with Him in His suffering to save mankind. We are sharing in the bread and wine symbolizing His body and blood. As He is so are we in the world. We represent Him as the slat of the earth and light of the world. We must stand and pledge our allegiance to the Lord, to live out His life and to shine his light to the world, to glorify our father in Heaven.