Matthew 5:13-16
"You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
"You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp then places it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father."
Salt - Purposes & Characteristics
- Discussion question - What are some of the common uses of salt?
- Contextual purposes:
- Flavoring (Mark 9:50) - "Salt is good for seasoning…"
- Preservation - preventing meat from spoiling
- Forming or sealing covenants (Leviticus 2:13) - "Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings."
- Other purposes (from http://shine.yahoo.com/green/46-smart-uses-for-salt-2270681.html ):
- Cleaning
- Agriculture - killing weeds
- Healing
- Vital to life
How could salt lose its flavor?
- Contamination or dilution - looks like salt, but flavorless, useless, no longer serving purpose
What does it mean to be salt of the earth?
- Mark 9:50 - "Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other."
- Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV) - "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
Light - Purposes & Characteristics
- "We all know what light is, but it is not easy to tell what it is…"
- "The natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible." (Oxford Dictionary)
Jesus - Light of the World
- John 1:1-5 - "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it."
- John 8:12 - "Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”"
- John 12:44-46 - "If you trust me, you are trusting not only me, but also God who sent me. For when you see me, you are seeing the one who sent me. I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark."
"YOU are the light of the world…"
- City on a hilltop - imagery
- Modern day parable - lighthouse?
- Isaiah 42:6-7 - "I, the LORD, have called you to demonstrate my righteousness. I will take you by the hand and guard you, and I will give you to my people, Israel, as a symbol of my covenant with them. And you will be a light to guide the nations. You will open the eyes of the blind. You will free the captives from prison, releasing those who sit in dark dungeons."
- Isaiah 49:6 - He says, “You will do more than restore the people of Israel to me. I will make you a light to the Gentiles, and you will bring my salvation to the ends of the earth."
What does it mean to be the light of the world?
- Philippians 2:15 - "Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people."
- "Let your good deeds shine out for all to see."
- Story - Benjamin Franklin & Philadelphia street lighting
Illustrations of believers as being salt and light speak not primarily to the words we 'preach,' but by the lives we live. Our faith in action testifies that we truly believe, and of our Christian character.
Don't lose your saltiness, or hide your light!
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