THE CHRISTIAN’S
INFLUENCE
God’s law of the heart (2)
Matthew 5:11-16
Penge Baptist Church
16th September 2012
Matthew 5:11-16
“Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me.
Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven, for in the same way they
persecuted the prophets who were before you.
“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.
In the same way, let your light shine before men,
that they may see your good deeds and praise
your Father in heaven.”
The Salt of the Earth
• “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.”
The Uses of Salt
•
•
•
•
Preserving
Flavouring
Healing
Purity
Being Salt
• World cannot stop itself going bad
• God has ordained other restraining
influences (state, family)….
• ….but church has the main responsibility
• Christian saltiness is the character shown
in beatitudes
• Salt can lose its saltiness if impure – as can
Christians if assimiliated to world
The Light of the World
• “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.
In the same way, let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven”.
The Uses of Light
•
•
•
•
Warning
Directing/attracting
Guiding
Showing
Being Light
• Jesus said “I am the light of the world” (John
8:12) while his teaching means “the people living
in darkness have seen a great light; on those
living in the land of the shadow of death a light
has dawned.” (Matthew 4:16)
• Christians must reflect Jesus and his teaching
• World is a dark place needing light
• Our light includes evangelism….
• ….but also works of love for neighbours
• Light in us can become darkness if conceal truth
How the World Responds
• Negatively by persecution
“Blessed are you when people insult you,
persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me. Rejoice and be
glad, because great is your reward in heaven,
for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you.
• Positively by believing
– In the same way, let your light shine before
men, that they may see your good deeds and
praise your Father in heaven”.
Being both Salt and
Light
• Church and world are distinct communities and we
are called to be different
• Church must act as a group and not only
individuals
• We must accept responsibility this difference puts
on us – no case for withdrawal but involvement
• Responsibility is twofold
– Prevent the spread of evil by being salt
– Promote the spread of truth, beauty and goodness by
being light
Are we ready to be Salt and
Light?
• Hard to believe that those showing the blessings
(meek, peacemakers, pure in heart) can make a
difference…..
• …..but Jesus did not share that scepticism and nor
should we!
• By following beatitudes and being salt and light we
– Will ourselves be blessed
– Will best serve the world
– Will glorify God “This is to my Father’s glory, that you
bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
(John 15:8)
• “This must be your only retaliation – love and truth
for hatred and lies”