Keith Battle - What Did Jesus Say?- Part 2

Turn to Matthew chapter 5. We’re in a series called «What Does Jesus Say?» I don’t know how this is going to go with me down here; they’re telling me where I can walk and where I can’t. Matthew chapter 5, we started this series last week: «What Did Jesus Say?» We’ve heard what politicians say; we know what the pundits are saying; we know what athletes are saying; we know what artists are saying. Everybody’s got something to say. I think we ought to revisit, as a Christian community, what Jesus said. The Bible says that heaven and earth will pass away before one jot or tittle of the law fails. Jesus’s words are forever; whatever He said stands. So we can come back to it at any time, and usually what He says conflicts with stuff we say. I’m saying if there’s ever a disagreement between what Jesus said and what I say, I’ve got to go with what Jesus said. We’ve started this series as a study of the Sermon on the Mount, and last week we looked at the Beatitudes, which are really attributes of a Christian—eight attributes that a follower of Jesus has. Today we’re going to look at what our actions should be in verses 13 to 16. I’m going to start reading in verse 10 just to set the context of Matthew chapter 5. This is the NIV version. It says, «Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.» That’s not something we always looked at as a blessing. «Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.» By the way, let me say before I read the passage, this is a great time to get into a small group, lead a small group, start a group, or facilitate a group for this series. We have booklets and handouts in the lobby for you if you’re interested in leading a group around this study; there’s material in the lobby for you to pick up. Verse 13: here’s where our focus will be today. «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 by men. You are the light of the world. A city 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.» Verse 16: «In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.» Can you say Amen? It is interesting that Jesus uses two words to describe those of us who are following Him. He said it on the mountain when He gave this Sermon on the Mount to all of those who were following Him. He describes us with two words: salt and light. Out of all the things He could have called us, He says we’re salt and we’re light. And He doesn’t just give us our title; He gives us our target. He says you’re not just salt for yourself; you’re salt for the earth, and you’re the light of the world. This means that I, being salt, and you, being salt, I, being light, and you, being light, is not for us; it’s for others. The very nature of Him saying we are the salt of the earth and we are the light of the world is a missional statement. If you don’t view your life as being missional, if you don’t have a mission in life that’s bigger than you—one that is others-oriented—you are living selfishly and below God’s assignment for your life. There is something that He wants you to do with your life that just isn’t about you. We are the salt of the earth, and we are the light of the world, and we’re not just any kind of salt; we are the salt of the earth. He says in verse 13 that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The world needs light because the world is dark, and the world needs salt because it is decaying. One of the things we know that salt does is preserve. The world is decaying, and so if God says in a dark and decaying world that we are the light and we are the salt, that means we are all He’s got to work with. If the world is dark and decaying, we’ve got to take responsibility for inactivity as salt and light. The world is supposed to be dark; the world is supposed to be decaying. We can’t just sit back and look at the world and say, «What a shame!» We can’t just shake our heads and look at the world and say, «Look at how dark it is, and look at how decaying it is.» I’m saying, the darker the world is, and the more decayed, corrupt, and rotten it becomes, that’s an indication that there’s a lot of salt that is not being shaken and a lot of light that is not shining. We don’t have to just pontificate; in fact, we don’t even have to talk about how dark the world is.