THE OF THE MOUNT – Kay-Chong Yeo Page 1 ______

Session Seven Being the Salt of the Earth and (:13-16)

A. Introduction 1. Matthew 5:13-26 is a familiar and widely known passage where calls us to be salt of the earth and the light of the world. It is a call to impact society and transform nations. It is a call to be relevant and a change agent.

2. It is an invitation given to all of us, His disciples, regardless of how weak we are, and regardless of our position / status or job / vocation. We are all called to be vessels and channels of God to make Him known and transform society. We are called to influence and create impact, advancing the Kingdom of God here on earth.

3. However, being the is the RESULT of walking out the eight . Matt. 5:13-16 comes after Matt. 5:3-10; in other words, we can’t truly advance God’s Kingdom unless we become Kingdom people.

4. We can’t be effective change agents of God in transforming society without walking out the Beatitudes. We cannot transform others UNLESS we ourselves are firstly being transformed.

5. It is a common mistake to teach Matt. 5:13-16 outside the context and independent of the Beatitudes. As a result, being salt and light becomes a strategy or program. We rely on our talents, gifts, plans and strategies to attempt transformation.

6. It is vital to CONNECT Jesus’ call to be the salt of the earth and light of the world to Jesus’ call to pursue the eight Beatitudes in our lives. They are not supposed to be separate or taught independently of each other.

B. Two-fold Call of Jesus – Salt of the Earth 1. The primary functions of salt in Jesus’ time were as follows: a. To preserve food and prevent it from decaying, spoiling and rotting

b. To add flavor to food and make it tastier.

2. As salt of the earth, we are called to a. Prevent society from moral decay and depravity in accordance with the Truth of God.

b. Make people thirsty for God as they see the reality of God in our lives and the vibrancy of our hearts.

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3. As we walk out the Beatitudes, we will naturally be a witness and testimony for Jesus. It is not difficult. We are not perfect but we can be real. God will give us grace as we seek to live out the Beatitudes.

4. We are the salt that prevents decay in society when we: a. Resist decay in our own lives – It begins with us. We cannot overcome darkness if we are not walking in the light of .

b. Resist decay in our society – We are called to be in the world and not of the world. We are to resist the decay of morals and values in our society.

5. Here are two practical ways of being the salt of the earth: a. Through godly character, lifestyle and methods: i. Refuse compromise in morality, modesty and values, wherever we are, whether at home, in school or at the workplace. Our lives and actions speak louder than words. It’s often not what we say but how we live that impacts others.

ii. The most powerful testimony of a businessman is not how successful his business is but that he runs his business with integrity and refuses to compromise on his values, even if he / she suffers loss in the process.

b. Through taking a stand against moral decay and depravity wherever we are, with the wisdom and grace of God. We do this by refusing to be a part of it, voicing out what is wrong and most importantly, by interceding and praying. We must not be passive or accept what we see around us. We must take our stand with God, especially in prayer.

6. In Matt. 5:13, Jesus emphasized that our effectiveness as the salt of the earth is contingent upon us walking out the Beatitudes. Being salt is more than a program or strategy. We lose our “saltiness” when we neglect walking out the Beatitudes and living the Sermon-on-the-Mount lifestyle.

C. Two mistakes the Church makes in seeking to be salt 1. We seek to be salt outside the context of walking out the Beatitudes. As a result we have no power to change ourselves, those around us, or society. We need to recognize that as a vessel and lamp of God, we need oil to shine. “Oil” here refers to a life of walking out the Beatitudes.

2. We try to win / transform the world by becoming like the world a. The idea of blending into the secular music, fashion, entertainment etc. scenes to become like the secular world is a mistake. We are to be in the world but not of the world ().

b. Jesus makes it clear that believers who are indistinguishable or no different from non-believers are useless in bringing real change to the world (Matt.

www.OneThingMinistries.net THE SERMON OF THE MOUNT – Kay-Chong Yeo Page 3 ______5:13). We are not called to be the same but distinct so that we can impact and transform.

c. It is true that Jesus called us to “invade” all realms of society as salt and light and be relevant in these spheres, whether political, social, economic etc. However, we become relevant by displaying the values, life and power of Christ, not by being the same as the world.

d. We have to clearly define “salt and light” and being “relevant” according to the . Being relevant is about manifesting God’s reality, character and power. As people see God in our lives, they will praise the Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).

e. O. S. Guinness pointed out that the idol of the 21st century Church is the idol of being relevant. In his book “Prophetic Untimeliness”, he says, “By our uncritical pursuit of relevance we have actually courted irrelevance; by our breathless chase after relevance without a matching commitment to faithfulness, we have become not only unfaithful but irrelevant; by our determined efforts to redefine ourselves in ways that are more compelling to the modern world than are faithful to Christ, we have lost not only our identity but our authority and relevance. Our crying need is to be faithful as well as relevant.”

f. It is a deception when we seek to become “like” the world so as to win them. More often, many are being won over by the world instead of winning over the world for Christ.

g. We can “cross over” to the various arenas of society but we have to maintain our DISTINCT lifestyles, values and message in order to be effective agents of change. We have to hold fast to biblical standards of morality and modesty and not compromise.

D. Two-fold Call of Jesus – Light of the World 1. Light exposes darkness and gives direction. Being the light of the world means that we are vessels of God that reveal the Truth and Reality of Jesus through our words and deeds.

2. We are the light of the world in two primary ways: a. As an individual, nation or generation, we bring a living understanding of who Jesus is and what He wants..

b. We are a voice that brings the message of hope, direction and destiny to people, our generation and the nations. We have to speak with clarity and in accordance with what is in God’s heart and not what is popular. We speak of: i. What God is saying to the nations and this generation ii. What time and season we are living in iii. How God defines success

www.OneThingMinistries.net THE SERMON OF THE MOUNT – Kay-Chong Yeo Page 4 ______iv. The judgment and justice of God

3. As light of the world, we point people to God and tell them the ways of God. We expose darkness by bringing light to society. We demonstrate God by doing good deeds.

4. As light of the world, we represent God.. We are to stand with God and proclaim the message He has given us even if it is unpopular. We have to be proactive in bringing forth God’s message that is both world-affirming and world-denying at the same time (Matt. 5: 15): a. World-affirming – We are “for” the world as we fight for the destinies of our cities and nation

b. World-denying – We stand for righteousness and speak to our cities and nation what is not right in the eyes of God.

5. Lighting a lamp in Jesus’ time does not take place by the simple flipping of a switch. The lamp must first be filled with oil, then lit, and then carried around the house to bring forth light.

6. The goal of being the light is for people to see God. We have to be proactive not only to “light up the lamp” but also to “carry the lamp around” so that we can glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).

7. Here are two practical ways of being the light of the world: a. Stand for and speak of who Jesus is and what He wants – He is more than a God who forgives our sins. He is a God of love and justice. He judges sin and calls us to live in righteousness.

b. Demonstrate the Truth and Reality of Jesus with practical deeds and supernatural works (Matt. 5:16). Ask the Holy Spirit for a divine idea in how and in what capacity to serve (v.15 - “light a lamp”).

8. Jesus also exhorts us to be the salt and light together as a community, because it will be more glorious and even more impactful (Matt. 5:14). While we can be individual lights, we can make an even greater impact collectively as a community and body of Christ. This impact cannot be hidden. A city of light that is made up of many individual lights that shine together is glorious and impactful.

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