Sermon Tone Analysis

*Did Jesus /really/ say that?*

* “Be tasty and shine!”*

My family and I were in Florida not long ago.

We spent a week in Orlando – aka Disney World~/odnalro.

Disney is fantastic but what my kids enjoy the most is swimming at the hotel pool.

We did that quite often.

You know it’s hot in Florida when the pool water is really warm.

One afternoon we were swimming when we noticed a sky writer obviously in the sky!

Before we even knew *he or she for that matter was up there* – someone had already written TRUST in huge capital letters in the sky.

So now he starts writing his next word.

First there’s a J and then an E – I bet you know the name already – JEHOSHAPHAT.

Just kidding.

JESSE.

Sandra Bullock would disagree.

(Jeanna)  Actually the name was the name literally above all names.

JESUS - I took a picture!

Both my kids pointed to the sky and said – “Dad, isn’t that cool!”

And you know what – I think it was cool.

I honestly think God thinks so too!  God has given his church – that’s a collective group of people not a building HIS mission.

We are to make disciples and not disciples of just anyone, but disciples of Jesus.

That means God has given each of us a responsibility.

*Help people see Jesus in this life*.

Help people see Jesus in your life!  *And the logical question to ask now is HOW?*  How do I help people see Jesus~/see God?

If I had a plane that would be easy.

I would just sky write.

The people in Jesus day couldn’t do that either so let’s use a more conventional method.

That method is found in Matthew 5.  Today we begin an eight week message series entitled, “Did Jesus really say that?”  *We will go verse by verse from Matthew 5:13 to 5:48.*

I want to encourage you to take Jesus at his word even when he sounds wacky.

Wacky words like, “/Measure up, words can kill, gouge & chop, be faithful except… since you’ve smacked my right cheek you might as well smack the left one too and don’t forget Jesus’ words – “Be perfect!”/  Today we’ve going to begin at Matthew 5:13.

Jesus says, “Be tasty and shine!  *Do you need a Bible today?

We have one for you.

Just raise your hand.

Also please fill out your yellow card in your newsletter.

Now one major difference with this Bible versus mine – it’s not a red letter edition!  *The red text indicates the actual words of Jesus.

There’s allot of red here.

* Let’s read verses 13-16*.

Jesus said.

*Be proactive.

Be intentional about helping people see me in your life.*

*Matthew 5:13 is at the front end of what people call the Sermon on the Mount*.

Some scholars believe this is one long sermon.

Most don’t.

This is a series of sermons.

The Gospel of Matthew contains five main sections of Jesus led teaching and they are chapters 5-7, 10, 13, 18 and chapters 24 & 25.[i]  Matthew 4:23 tells us Jesus is teaching throughout Galilee.

Galilee was like a county that included cities like Nazareth, Cana and Capernaum.

There is a sloping hillside on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee not far from Capernaum.

*Now why do I say that?*

Because the Bible does not contradict geography or archaeology or history.

You know history, Julius Caesar, Lebron James days in Cleveland and Frank Buckles – have you ever heard of Frank Buckles?  Frank turned 109 on Feb 1 and he is the last living World War I Veteran.[ii]

Some day when Frank dies will people believe WW I didn’t happen?

Jesus is not here today physically, but some 2000 years ago Jesus spoke at a level spot on a hillside overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

Jesus really lived, died and rose again.

*Matthew 5:13 comes on the heels of the beatitudes.*

And just for clarity’s sake - a beatitude is a “declaration of blessedness.”[iii]

I have a friend.

I do not want to mention his name because I might embarrass him.

His name is Jim Russ.

I’m not sure how long he’s been doing this, but in my mind it’s been quite awhile.

I’ll see Jim and invariably I ask, “Jim, how are you doing?”

And his response is, “I am blessed!”

I believe he’s right.

I am blessed too.

Blessing supernaturally involves happiness.

In verses 3-11 Jesus starts by saying happy are, fortunate are, blessed are the following people.

People who recognize their need for God, who cry over their sin, who submit to authority, who desire righteousness, show mercy, maintain a pure heart, display peace and rejoice in the face of persecution.[iv]

*Mark Moore said, **/“The beatitudes describe the character of a Christian.”/**

*The rest of chapter 5 hinges on this fact.

Conduct (that is behavior) follows character.

I wonder if the crowd Jesus was speaking to ever asked the question “so what?”

I mean Jesus, so what?

You want us to be meek – to submit to authority.

What in the world can meek people do?

What can persecuted people do?  Jesus tells them.

You can change the world.

*Go back to Matthew 5:13a~/14a.

Jesus was speaking generally but now he gets specific.

*You can have influence on people - influence as life altering as salt & light.

When you are poured out like salt – people see Jesus.

And when you are lit like a lamp – people see Jesus.

*Let’s take salt first*.

*Salt shows us how to stand up for God!  *Scholars tell us salt had several uses for people in Jesus day.

Salt /preserved food, purified sacrifices, gave flavor and created thirst.*[v]*/

Mark Moore believes that of all the uses for salt preserving and purifying[vi] make the most sense for followers of Jesus.

People in Jesus day had no refrigerators.

There were pools in Jesus’ day just no Whirlpool!

Meat was covered in salt to preserve it – to make it last longer.

You stand up for God when you stand up for his word.

*BUT HOW?  How do you stand up for God’s word?*  Do you picket, send emails to legislators, create billboards, sky write or maybe form a grassroots committee and take it to the streets?

*Jesus gives us the answer*.

*Go back to verse 13b.*

I did not know this but technically salt can’t lose its flavor.

Sodium chloride is a resilient chemical.

Salt doesn’t lose it flavor as much as it gets defiled or diluted.

That’s what people in Jesus day would do.

They would go down to the Dead Sea shore line and scrape up the white residue from the edge of the beach and sell it as salt.

But it wasn’t salt entirely.

This salt would be diluted with gypsum and other minerals[vii] making it almost useless – so people would do this.

*Find verse 13c again*.

If you want people to see Jesus in your life – don’t dilute the word of God.

The best way to actually preserve the word of God *(to stand up for God)* is to do what the word says!