"Pass the Salt and Shine the Flashlight"
Rooted - You Are Salt and Light • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Transcript
— Today we will celebrate communion and after the service there will be a little “send off.” for Laura Cooper. She will be “wintering” in Salem, Oregon with her daughter
— We return this week to our “Rooted” series… being salt and light.
— We are nearly done with “Rooted” and will transition to our Advent series at the end of November.
— Over the last several weeks we have journeyed through scripture and established for some the foundations of being follower of Jesus.
— For others this has been a “wake up call.” To return to your first love… Jesus.
— For most of us this series has been a “tune up.” A set of reminders, encouragements, a call to re-establish ourselves as the only hope for a sick and dying world.
— This week is no different… We will be using a familiar passage of scripture. Matthew5.13-16. Its the “salt and light” passage.
— It’s found on page 810 in the bible in the rack in front of you
— Let’s look once again at our theme verses for this series
— I’ll say it and then we can say it together
Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV)
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
— Receive Christ as your savior
— Walk with him
— Drive your “roots” deep.
— Plant, water, fertilize, prune, tend your plants and harvest a plentiful harvest.
— One that will cause you to give thanks to God!
- Turn with me if you will to Matthew 5.13. and stand if you will/can as we read scripture
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Let’s return to V.13
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
— Salt has a very long history
— Jesus makes this statement… “you are the salt of the earth.”
— When we think of “salt” we think of this or this.
— We see isles at the grocery story stocked to the rafters with all kinds of salt.
— plain salt
— enriched salt
— seasoned salt
— my favorite… popcorn salt
— pink salt, blue salt,
— The salt that Jesus uses here as this example is salt just like this and this
— But it’s also quite different...
“You are the salt of the earth...”
— When Jesus said this he chose salt specifically.
— To us… Salt is hugely availability, in many different forms.
— The people of the first century salt took on a great deal more
— The “salt” they had was taken from the dead sea.
— This salt was naturally mixed with gypsum or sheet rock dust.
— In the usual conditions… salt not used and left out in the elements would loose it’s “saltiness” and simply be sheetrock dust. NOT USEFUL TO SEASON ANYTHING.
— Three of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) all have a very similar story and Jesus use of salt in His teaching
— Let’s take a closer look
— In Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus delivers a powerful message to His followers about their role in the world.
— He compares them to salt and light, illustrating the profound impact Christians can have in their communities.
— Let's explore this passage and its implications for our lives.
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
— “You are the salt of the earth...”
— This statement is to emphasize the value of the godly.
— Salt is a most valuable commodity. Because of its abundance and cheapness today, we often fail to realize how valuable it is.
— Salt has been vital for preservation and seasoning of food for ages.
— In some ancient cultures made a bag of salt had more worth more than a man.
— This comparison to salt says the godly are the most valuable people in society we are salty!
“The world despises the godly, but it is the godly that preserve society more than any other factor.”
— We may feel marginalized, beat-up, unappreciated, maligned, mis-characterized because of our faith in Christ.
— But in a large part it is those of us who claim and represent Christ that are holding our society together.
I have two points to make regarding our first verse
Salt is:
A Preserving Influence
Flavoring for the World
— Just as salt preserves food from decay, Christians are called to be a preserving influence in the world.
— I met Ed about a year ago… he was a recent widower who was really very lonely.
— He had moved here from the Portland area with his wife
— Who got Covid and died.
— We connected again this week… He wanted me to know that he was getting married
— He also said that our spiritual conversations had really made an impact on him.
— This guy Ed, really had no idea what it was to be a Christian. His previous exposure was negative on so many fronts.
— He and his new wife are committed to finding a church to worship in and he finally understood how vital that was in a relationship.
Salt is:
#1 A Preserving Influence
— This preservation idea is a valuable one.
— In our world today, with it’s rapid, rapid changes
— With the chaos that we have dealt with over the last several years
— We need a constant… We need a place to center ourselves.
— For some we need a place to return to...
Our Faith, provides the POWER and the ACTION that we need to be “salty”.
— By remaining “rooted” in God’s Word
— We CAN keep the decay of our society in check… HOW? By upholding our values and principles in a sick and dying world
— But that’s impossible… How can my single voice make a difference?
— Can I remind you of Billy Graham, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield.
— These men… were “rooted” deeply in Christ, long before they led revivals that literally brought millions to faith in Christ.
— It’s not our responsibility to win millions… it’s our responsibility to win whoever God sends our way.
Salt is:
#2 Flavoring for the World
— We are called to “Flavor the World.”
— Salt adds flavor to food, making it more enjoyable.
— Likewise, our lives, our testimony our flavoring can make the world a better place.
— But… the world has to know that we are followers of Christ
— 60% of the non-Christians in North America, that’s over 39 million people (roughly the population of California) do NOT personally know any Christians.
— Just let that sink in...
— We have totally missed it… Our command from Jesus is to “make disciples.”
There are roughly 230 million Christians in North America… But yet there are 39 million people who don’t know any Christians.
— There are roughly 6 times as many Christians as non-Christians in North America.
— Yet 39 million people don’t know any Christians
We have certainly missed something along the way
— Our mission field is not only Africa, South America, Europe, or Australia.
— But is Sunnyside, Washington State, The United States and Canada.
— Let’s move on to the “Light.”
Matthew 5:14–15 (ESV)
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
— You and you and you are the Light of the World,
— In our dark, foreboding world,
— In the evilest of places,
— In the best of places
— You are sometimes the ONLY light in the world of another person.
What must we do..? Shine Brightly
— Christ likens us to a city on a hill that cannot be hidden.
— As Christians, we are called to shine brightly by living out our faith in a way that is evident to all.
— We must make ourselves attractive to others with the message of Christ.
What must we do..? Eliminate Darkness
— Light dispels darkness, and in the same way, our lives should dispel ignorance, hatred, and despair.
28 For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
— Let your actions and words be a beacon of hope and truth in a world often plagued by confusion and turmoil.
— And one last verse
16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Let your Light Shine… It Glorifies God
— Jesus instructs us to let our light shine before others, so they may see the good in what we do.
— Just as important as others seeing what we do is acknowledging that we do it because it “Glorifies God”
— The blind man, the beggar, the woman with a bleeding disorder all acknowledged their healing with joy and celebration
— For Jesus the healer… He pointed to the Father saying that the people were healed to “Glorify God.”
When we live in a manner that reflects the character of God, we point people to the source of all goodness and love.
— Guard yourself
— Insulate yourselves from that which is obviously evil
— Be on guard for that which so easily distracts us
— Give the Glory to God when our character points someone else to a relationship with Jesus.
Let’s Review
— In our passage today Jesus calls us to be the salt and light of the world.
— We are to be a preserving influence, adding flavor, and dispelling darkness.
— Let’s really embrace this mission, living our lives in a way that glorifies God and points others to His love and truth.
— You don’t need to be a spiritual giant to live a life that Glorifies God
— You need to understand what the mission is… To win others to Christ, to make disciples, To Glorify God in the process.
— As we do, we fulfill our purpose as Christ's disciple!
Communion