Redeemer Church
March 1

      • Psalm 95:1–2ESV

  • Here I Am to Worship

      • Psalm 51:9–10ESV

      • Romans 5:1–2ESV

  • Open the Eyes Of My Heart

      • Matthew 5:13–16ESV

  • Introduction

    Jesus has just described a people who are:
    Poor in spirit
    Mourning over sin
    Meek before God
    Hungering for righteousness
    Merciful
    Pure in heart
    Peacemakers
    Persecuted
    And the natural question becomes:
    What happens when people like this live in the world?
    Do they withdraw?
    Do they hide?
    Do they blend in with the world?
    Jesus answers:
    No. They become salt and light.
    These two metaphors describe the influence of the kingdom of God through ordinary believers living faithful lives in the world.
    Let us look at Vs 13 together

    I. The Identity of the Christian: Salt of the Earth (v.13)

    Notice first something important.
    Jesus does not say: “You should become salt.”
    He says: “You are salt.”
    This is identity before activity.
    ...not just giving mission...
    ...describing what they are already because...
    Union with Christ produces a new nature and a new influence in the world.
    Because you belong to Christ, you already possess a preserving influence in the world.
    The question is not whether Christians ARE salt and light.
    how faithfully we live out that identity.
    What Did Salt Represent in the Ancient World?
    Salt had several important functions in the ancient world.
    Three of them help us understand Jesus’ point.

    1. Salt Preserves from Decay

    In the ancient world there were no refrigerators.
    Salt was one of the primary ways meat was preserved.
    It slowed bacterial growth and delayed corruption.
    Jesus assumes something very important about the world:
    The world is decaying.
    Scripture confirms this diagnosis.
    Humanity is fallen.
    Sin spreads through societies like rot spreading through meat.
    Paul describes this corruption clearly in Romans 3
    Romans 3:10–11 ESV
    as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.
    And then John tells us in 1 John 5
    1 John 5:19 ESV
    We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
    Without the restraining influence of God’s people,
    corruption spreads rapidly.
    Christians function as a restraining presence within a decaying world.
    Not by political dominance.
    Not by coercion.
    But by holy presence.
    Where Christians live faithfully:
    • corruption slows
    • injustice is challenged
    • truth remains visible
    • righteousness is modeled
    The presence of godly people is a mercy of God to a dying world.
    Throughout history, where the gospel has spread
    hospitals have been built
    slavery has been challenged
    the poor have been cared for
    and human dignity has been defended.
    Christians do not save the world.
    But God often uses them to slow the spread of its corruption.

    2. Salt Adds Flavor

    Salt does not merely preserve food.
    It makes food more enjoyable.
    salt doesn’t necessarily have flavor of its own
    It brings out the flavor that is already there.
    In the same way, Christianity should make the beauty of God tasteable in the world.
    The Christian life should display the character of Christ.
    Scripture describes this as the fruit of the Spirit:
    Galatians 5:22–23 ESV
    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
    These qualities are not merely private virtues.
    They are public testimony.
    Christians should display:
    • joy • love • peace • patience • kindness
    So that people around them begin to wonder:
    “Why do you live this way?”
    when sorrow comes, you still give glory to God
    When you suffer loss, you seek Joy
    when everyone around you is grumbling and complaining
    You praise God for his blessings
    Peter describes this kind of witness:
    1 Peter 2:12 ESV
    Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
    When lived rightly, Christianity is not dull.
    It is not joyless.
    It is radiant with the goodness of God.

    3. Salt Creates Thirst

    Salt also produces thirst.
    After eating something salty, you naturally desire water.
    In the same way, the life of a faithful Christian should awaken spiritual thirst in others.
    When people see:
    • humility instead of pride
    • forgiveness instead of bitterness
    • peace in suffering
    • joy in hardship
    It raises a question in their hearts:
    “Where does that kind of life come from?”
    Jesus Himself said:
    John 4:14 ESV
    but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
    The Christian life should quietly point people toward that living water.

    Warning: Salt That Loses Its Saltiness

    Jesus now gives a sobering warning: Read Vs 13 b
    At first, this statement sounds strange.
    Because chemically speaking, salt cannot stop being salt.
    Pure sodium chloride does not lose its saltiness.
    So what is Jesus talking about?
    The answer lies in the kind of salt commonly found in the ancient world.
    Much of the salt in Israel came from the Dead Sea region.
    It was not pure salt.
    It was mixed with other minerals like gypsum and sand.
    Over time, moisture could leach the sodium chloride out of the mixture.
    What remained still looked like salt—but the actual salty component was gone.
    It was nothing more than tasteless mineral residue.
    In other words:
    It looked like salt.
    But it no longer functioned like salt.
    That is Jesus’ point.
    A disciple whose life becomes indistinguishable from the world loses spiritual influence.
    When Christians compromise with the world:
    • the witness weakens
    • the influence disappears
    • the credibility collapses
    Paul gives a similar warning:
    Romans 12:2 ESV
    Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
    And again:
    Philippians 2:14–15 ESV
    Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
    When believers lose their distinctiveness, they stop functioning as salt.
    Jesus says such salt is “no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”
    Now we must be clear.
    This is not a statement about losing salvation.
    Jesus is describing loss of usefulness and influence.
    A compromised disciple may still belong to Christ,
    but their life no longer restrains decay,
    adds flavor,
    or creates thirst.
    They look like salt.
    But they no longer act like it.
    And Jesus warns His disciples:
    Do not lose your distinctiveness.
    Because the world desperately needs the preserving, flavoring, thirst-awakening influence of faithful Christians.

    II. The Visibility of the Christian: Light of the World (vv.14–16)

    Just as with salt, notice again the language of identity.
    Jesus does not say:
    “You should try to become light.”
    He says:
    “You are the light of the world.”
    This identity flows directly from our relationship to Christ.
    Jesus Himself said:
    John 8:12 ESV
    Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
    Christ is the true Light.
    But those who belong to Him now reflect His light into the world.
    We do not generate the light.
    We display the light.
    Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, Christians reflect the light of Christ.
    And Jesus emphasizes something crucial about light:
    Light is meant to be seen.

    1. Light Is Visible

    Jesus continues:
    “A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” — Matthew 5:14
    In the ancient world, cities were often built on elevated ground for protection and visibility.
    At night, when lamps were lit throughout the city, the entire city would glow in the darkness.
    It was impossible to miss.
    Jesus is saying something profound about the church.
    The people of God are meant to be visible in the world.
    I have heard many say something like,
    “I am a christian but I that is between me and God....etc.”
    Christianity is not a private spirituality hidden away in isolation.
    It is a public witness.
    Our lives should stand in contrast to the surrounding darkness.
    Paul describes this contrast clearly:
    Ephesians 5:8 ESV
    for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
    Notice the same pattern again.
    Not merely:
    “Act like light.”
    But:
    “You are light.”
    Identity produces the behavior.
    The Christian life is meant to be noticeably different.
    Not arrogant.
    Not self-righteous.
    But visibly distinct.

    2. Light Is Not Meant to Be Hidden

    Jesus continues the metaphor: vs 15
    In first-century homes, a small oil lamp was used to illuminate the entire room.
    Putting a basket over it would defeat its purpose.
    The lamp exists to shine.
    Jesus is warning His disciples against a quiet temptation:
    The temptation to hide our faith.
    Sometimes that happens out of fear.
    Fear of rejection.
    Fear of criticism.
    Fear of standing out.
    But Jesus says hiding our faith is as absurd as lighting a lamp and then covering it.
    The purpose of light is illumination.
    Likewise, the purpose of the Christian life is to make Christ visible.
    Peter describes this mission clearly:
    1 Peter 2:9 ESV
    But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
    Christ saved us out of darkness so that our lives would display His marvelous light.

    3. Light Directs Glory to God

    Jesus concludes with the purpose of this light: vs 16
    This verse clarifies something very important.
    The goal of visible Christian living is not self-promotion.
    It is God’s glory.
    People see our lives.
    They see our conduct.
    They see our good works.
    And the ultimate effect is that they glorify our Father in heaven.
    The good works Jesus speaks of here are not random acts of kindness detached from faith.
    They are the visible fruit of a transformed life.
    Jesus says later in the Sermon on the Mount:
    “By their fruits you will recognize them.”
    When the light of Christ shines through the lives of believers:
    • compassion becomes visible
    • integrity becomes visible
    • forgiveness becomes visible
    • humility becomes visible
    And the watching world begins to see something different.
    Not perfection.
    But evidence of a new kingdom.

    The Connection Between Salt and Light

    Jesus intentionally pairs these two metaphors.
    Salt works quietly and internally to slow corruption.
    Light works visibly and externally to expose darkness.
    Christians are called to be both.
    We restrain decay through holy presence.
    And we reveal truth through visible righteousness.
    The world does not need Christians who merely blend in.
    The world needs Christians who preserve and illuminate.

    Why the Church Must Understand This

    We must understand this passage because it protects us from two common errors.

    1. The Error of Withdrawal

    Some Christians respond to the darkness of the world by retreating from it.
    They isolate themselves from culture and society entirely.
    But Jesus does not remove His people from the world.
    He plants them within it.
    Salt only preserves if it is in contact with the meat.
    Light only illuminates if it is present in the darkness.
    Jesus prayed this very thing for His disciples:
    John 17:15 ESV
    I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.
    The church does not abandon the world.
    We remain in it as agents of God's preserving grace and illuminating truth.

    2. The Error of Assimilation

    The opposite danger is assimilation.
    This happens when Christians blend into the culture so completely that nothing about their lives looks different.
    The problem with that approach is simple:
    Salt that becomes indistinguishable from the dirt cannot preserve anything.
    Light that hides itself cannot illuminate anything.
    The church must live in the world without becoming like the world.
    So what does this look like in daily life?
    It means our faith cannot remain private and invisible.
    The influence Jesus describes shows up in ordinary places.
    In our homes.
    In our workplaces.
    In our schools.
    In our communities.
    When Christians live faithfully:
    • marriages look different • parenting looks different • honesty shapes business practices • forgiveness replaces bitterness • humility replaces pride
    And slowly, quietly, the influence of the gospel spreads.
    Not because Christians are powerful.
    But because Christ is.
    Christ is the great image of what he says we should be
    Christ is the light of the world
    We shine, because he belong to him
    The more closely we walk with Christ, the more clearly His light is reflected in our lives.
    The more we drift from Him, the dimmer that witness becomes.
    This passage ultimately calls us back to the same place the entire Sermon on the Mount leads:
    Life in the kingdom flows from a transformed heart.
    A heart that belongs to Christ.

    Communion

    And that brings us naturally to this table.
    Because the truth is, none of us shines perfectly.
    Even as those who belong to Christ,
    we know there are moments when our light grows dim.
    Moments when our lives look less like salt and more like the very decay we were meant to resist.
    And that is exactly why Christ gave His church this meal.
    The Lord’s Supper reminds us that our hope is not in the brightness of our own light.
    Our hope is in the Light Himself.
    At this table we remember how that light came into the darkness of our world.
    The Son of God took on flesh.
    He lived the perfectly righteous life that we have not lived.
    And then He went to the cross to bear the penalty for our sin.
    The bread reminds us of His body given for us.
    The cup reminds us of His blood shed for the forgiveness of sins.
    And every time we come to this table,
    we are reminded again that our identity as salt and light is grounded entirely in Christ.
    We shine only because we belong to Him.
    We shine only because His grace sustains us.
    So as we come to the table this morning, we come with humility.
    We examine our hearts.
    We confess our sins.
    But we also come with deep gratitude.
    Because the same Savior who calls us to be the light of the world
    has also given His life so that we might belong to Him forever.
    And it is His grace—remembered here—
    that strengthens us to go back into the world as salt and light.
    We practice an open communion...
    not member
    Christ has redeemed your heart
    Declared him Lord of your life
    We invite you to come
    Before we come to the table,
    Let us bow our heads and ask God to prepare our hearts to come to this table
    and I will close us in prayer before we come.

      • Romans 3:10–11ESV

      • 1 John 5:19ESV

      • Galatians 5:22–23ESV

      • 1 Peter 2:12ESV

      • John 4:14ESV

      • Romans 12:2ESV

      • Philippians 2:14–15ESV

      • John 8:12ESV

      • Ephesians 5:8ESV

      • 1 Peter 2:9ESV

      • John 17:15ESV

  • It Is Well With My Soul

      • Jude 25NKJV

Redeemer Church
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