the church at mesquite salt & light matt 5.13-16

The Church at Mesquite

Salt & Light

Matt 5.13-16


Matthew 5

Matthew 5.13

Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost his savor wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.


Matthew 5

Matthew 5.14-16

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your FATHER which is in Heaven (KJV).


Matthew 5

Notice:

JESUS’ proclamation that HIS followers were to be Salt & Light immediately proceeds the conditional eschatological promises of the Beatitudes (vs. 3-10) and the preparing lesson found in vs. 11-12


Matthew 5

Notice:

In this we note that the solution that JESUS provided for religious indifference, spiritual apathy, and social injustice was for HIS followers to be Salt & Light


Matthew 5

Notice:

This is significant because the same GOD who created man is the same GOD that created the earth (which is where the element of Salt is found) and Light which was created during the creation of the earth (cf. Genesis 1)


Matthew 5

Notice:

Thus we find that JESUS was well aware of the elemental qualities of Salt & Light, and compared HIS followers to those qualities


Matthew 5

If we are going to fully recognize the implications of JESUS’ call for HIS disciples to be Salt & Light, we must initially note the historical significance of these elements


Salt

As it relates to the text:


Salt


Salt represents purity


Salt



Salt is a preservative


Salt



Salt is a preservative

Salt is a seasoning


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accents the flavor of meat


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Brings out the taste of vegetables


Salt

Salt as a seasoning



Removes the blandness from starches


Salt

Salt as a seasoning




Deepens the flavor of certain desserts


Salt

Salt as a seasoning




Deepens the flavor of certain desserts

Heightens the flavor of melons and other fruit


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accents the flavor of meatBrings out the taste of vegetablesRemoves the blandness from starchesDeepens the flavor of certain dessertsHeightens the flavor of melons and other fruit

No other seasoning does all of this…


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

When we consider the facts and weigh them against JESUS’ call for HIS followers to be Salt and we can conclude that JESUS called for HIS followers to:


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accent life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accent life

Bring out the meaning of life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accent life


Remove the blandness from life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accent life



Deepen the purpose of life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accent life




Heighten the ideals of life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Yet when we consider JESUS’ Words do we find purpose for JESUS’ modern day servants…Christians?


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Yet when we consider JESUS’ Words do we find purpose for JESUS’ modern day servants…Christians?

Yes


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

We concluded last week that the Salt that we have as Christians proves to be The SPIRIT of CHRIST that lives within us.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

We concluded last week that the Salt that we have as Christians proves to be The SPIRIT of CHRIST that lives within us.

We are responsible for using that SPIRIT to make this world a better place.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

We are to accent life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


To accent something is to bring out the natural quality that it has


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Humanity has a natural quality, as we were made in the image of GOD


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


In other words, in our natural nature, we were made to look like GOD


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


1 Peter 1.13-16


Salt

1 Peter 1.13-16

Wherefore gird up the lions of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of JESUS CHRIST. As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as HE which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, “Be ye holy, for I AM holy” (KJV). Lev 11.44


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


GOD calls us to be holy, this is our natural quality.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


GOD calls us to be holy, this is our natural quality.

As Christians we are to live in such a way that we accent this holiness.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


But rather than accenting holiness by exemplifying the lifestyle that JESUS calls us to live many so called Christians live as if they do not know how to live holy themselves


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

We are to bring out the meaning of life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Many people live their lives today as if life has no real purpose


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


This is why many people do very little to make a difference in life…they have no real purpose


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Solomon noted in Ecclesiastes 12.13…

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, Fear GOD and keep HIS commandments, for this is the whole duty of man


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


In the words of Solomon we find the real meaning of life…we are here to do the bidding of GOD.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Christians have been called to live in such a way that people who do not know GOD can learn that life has more meaning than making money, sitting around watching television, getting drunk, hanging out with friends, partying, and such like…


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Yet again it is difficult for so called Christians to make sure that the people around them understand this because they are doing the same things, not really living their lives with the overall meaning that GOD called us to live with


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

We are to remove the blandness out of life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Have you ever noticed people who seem to just exist?


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Have you ever noticed people who seem to just exist? They have a heartbeat, they even have ability to make a difference but they seem to be just be there, as if something is missing?


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Such a person has a bland spirit.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Such a person has a bland spirit. They exist but there is something missing.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Such a person has a bland spirit. They exist but there is something missing. They are not living up to their full potential.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


JESUS has called all of us to be busy working in HIS kingdom. HE notes this in Matthew 6.33a…


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


JESUS has called all of us to be busy working in HIS kingdom. HE notes this in Matthew 6.33a…See ye first the kingdom of GOD, and HIS righteousness…


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


It is easy to be bland in life, and not live up to our full potential, if we do not understand what we are called to be doing.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


This is why so many people in the world are doing everything but what GOD has called them to do…their lives are bland. They are not living up to the potential that GOD called them to live up to.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Christians of course should be exemplifying how to carry out the Kingdom Building mission that we have been given, but many times so called Christians are busy do nothing rather than busy doing what JESUS has called us to do.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

We are to deepen the purpose of life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


In Matthew 6.25 JESUS proclaims, “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than rainment?” (KJV)


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


In the capitalistic society we are taught to get wrapped up in making money, having big houses, driving fancy cars, staking paper, living well, and such like.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


But as Christians, we must allow the Salt that JESUS placed in us to exemplify that life is more than this.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Notice the Words of JESUS in Matthew 8.20, “The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests, but the SON of man hath not where to lay HIS head.” (KJV)


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Here JESUS was showing that as disciples of GOD we have to sacrifice this life in order to gain the next life. JESUS was more concerned about doing the bidding of The FATHER than HE was in getting comfortable down here.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


This is what life is all about…doing the bidding of HE who called us. Yet many so called Christians are so focused in putting money in their pocket that they have no time to do the bidding of GOD.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Our mission and purpose in life is to teach, baptize, and make disciples (Matt 28.19-20). If we are not doing this we are not allowing the Salt of JESUS to reveal what life is all about. Life is deeper than just making a living.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

We are to heighten the ideals of life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Our ultimate ideal can be seen in Paul’s exhortation to the Galatians for Christians to walk in the fruit of The SPIRIT…


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Galatians 5.22-23

But the fruit of The SPIRIT is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…against such there is no law (KJV)


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


We witness mankind showing many different kinds of fruit (their actions), but they prove not to be the fruit of The SPIRIT of GOD


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Many people do not understand that they do not have to sell drugs to make a living, they do not have to get a buzz to have peace, they do not have to conform to the world to have a place of belonging…they can have all of these things by following the will of GOD.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


But we can not teach others how to show the fruit of The SPIRIT of GOD if we initially do not know the fruit of The SPIRIT of GOD, and secondly refuse to walk in the fruit of The SPIRIT of GOD.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


We find that this too is many times an issue among so called Christians, as many people who claim to be followers of CHRIST refuse to walk in HIS SPIRIT and bear the fruit that comes with walking in HIS SPIRIT.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accent life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Accent life




Heighten the ideals of life


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

Considering the spiritual apathetic attitude that many so called Christians have as it relates to allowing JESUS to impact the lives of people around them by allow HIS SPIRIT to be Salt, it is no wonder why the world is in the shape that it is in.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

At best our solution has been teaching people the importance of “going to church” when it should have been teaching people how to live their lives and Christians.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

At best our solution has been teaching people the importance of “going to church” when it should have been teaching people how to live their lives and Christians.

Because of this our society proves not to be seasoned with JESUS’ SPIRIT, and subsequently this world is not what GOD created it to be.


Salt

Salt as a seasoning

This would not be the case if Christians were being the Salt that JESUS called us to be, rather than being savorless, which is useless to GOD.


Salt

Salt as a preservative:

Matthew 5.13

Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost his savor wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men (KJV)


Salt & Light

Matt 5.13-16

the church at mesquite salt & light matt 5.13-16

Documents

mesquite salt salt

purity salt

preservative salt

element of salt

mesquite salt light

light slide

mesquite matthew

seasoning slide