← Back to sermon library

Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to Matthew chapter 5. Continue in the Sermon on the 
Mount. Matthew chapter 5. Matthew chapter 5. I'll just 
begin reading in verse 1. And seeing the multitudes, he 
went up on a mountain. And when he was seated, his disciples 
came to him. Then he opened his mouth and 
taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs 
is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, 
for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they 
shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger 
and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed 
are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the 
pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, 
for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who 
are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom 
of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile 
and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely 
for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, 
for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets 
who were before you. You are the salt of the earth, 
but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It 
is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled 
underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. 
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they 
light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand. And it gives light to all who 
are in the house. Let your light so shine before 
men that they may see your good works and glorify your father 
in heaven. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
God and our Father, we thank you for the written word. We 
thank you for the Holy Spirit. We pray that he would come now 
and guide us and direct us into all truth. We thank you as well 
for the blood of Jesus Christ, your Son, which cleanses us from 
all unrighteousness. As we approach your word, we 
acknowledge our sin to you and we pray for forgiveness. We pray, 
God, that you would wash us afresh, that you would give us the ability 
to receive those things that you have for us this morning. 
We pray for those who do not know the Lord Jesus as Savior. 
We would ask that the Spirit would work powerfully upon their 
hearts, showing them their sin, showing them their need for the 
Redeemer King, and how we praise you and how we bless you that 
you've not left us alone in this world. You've not left us without 
a helper and without your word to guide and direct us. We just 
pray now that in all things you would be glorified and exalted, 
and we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. Well, this morning, we're 
going to focus primarily on verses 13 to 16, the witness of the 
kingdom. Remember that in verses 10 and 
10 to 12 and the rest of the Beatitudes that highlighted the 
distinctiveness of believers, Jesus described What is true 
of a believer in Christ? Those who have been saved by 
grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, are here described 
in verses 3 to 12, and it shows their distinctive character. 
Verses 13 to 16 show the involvement of these people in their society. Not only are we distinctive, 
we are to be involved in society without minimizing the distinctiveness. The Beatitudes describe what 
a Christian man is in terms of his attitudes and actions. Verses 
thirteen to sixteen describe how he functions in a world of 
unbelief. The believer in Christ does not 
live the monastic life, he does not retreat from society, he 
does not shun the earth, he does not shun the world, but rather 
by the grace of God he lives as salt and he lives as light 
in terms of God's holy word so that he may do genuine good in 
his earthly sojourn. As we take up verses 13 to 16, 
we'll do it in two broad categories. First, we'll notice the salt 
of the earth, and then secondly, the light of the world. Well, 
let's look at verse 13. You are the salt of the earth. The word salt, or the use of 
salt, is conveyed variously in the Scripture. There are times 
in the Old Testament we read of a covenant of salt. There 
are times where we read that salt is used in terms of judgment. When there is judgment upon a 
land, they sow the ground with salt so that nothing can be grown 
there again. You'll remember that Lot's wife 
looked back and God turned her into a pillar of salt. Those 
are legitimate meanings, but I think what Jesus is highlighting 
here with reference to the believer is that we're both a seasoning 
agent and a preserving agent. Salt as a seasoning agent and 
as a preserving agent. How do we season society? Well, it's through our thought 
and our conduct. It's through our doctrine and 
our application. It's through those things we 
believe, and the way that we apply those things in society. The Christian promotes the gospel. 
He promotes the doctrines of God's holy word in a joyful and 
hopeful way among those who are joyless. and hopeless in this 
present evil world. When we take seriously the demands 
of our Savior and we live consistently as the salt of the earth, we 
season society around us. When we strive to do what is 
right in the sight of God, it brings benefit, it brings blessing, 
it brings help to a godless society and to a godless age. The Christian, 
by his good deeds, brings a good influence to the lives of those 
who have great difficulty as slaves of sin. Jesus says you 
are the salt of the earth. You season it. You provide savor 
to it. You are supposed to be a good 
agent in the life that God has placed you. But as well, the 
preserving agent. When you want to preserve meat, 
you might pack it in salt to hold off the decay, to hold off 
the putrefying effect of nature. Well, this world has putrefaction. This world is messed up, as we'll 
see as we move along. The Christian as preservative 
promotes the gospel and the doctrines of the Bible and a joyful and 
hopeful life among those who oftentimes have no joy and who 
have no hope. And God, through their influence, 
shows them their state. God, through their influence, 
shows them their need for the gospel. They hear the word of 
the Christian. They see the hope of the Christian. 
They ask the question of the Christian, why are you different? 
What is it about you? Why, in the midst of trial and 
tragedy and great difficulty, are you nevertheless joyful? 
Because I have a Savior, I have a Lord, I have a Redeemer, I 
have one who died for me and rose again. I have one that is 
seeing me through all those trials and through all those difficulties. 
You see, the Christian, as the salt of the earth, is supposed 
to be a preservative. He's supposed to have that good 
effect. Remember in Genesis 18, God says 
that he's going to destroy Sodom. What's Abraham's response to 
that? He says, well, if there are 50 righteous in the city, 
will you spare them? And then he starts to work his 
way down. It's unfortunate. Sodom didn't have 50 righteous 
men. Abraham goes from 50 to 45, to 
30, to 20, to 10. And the grim testimony is, is 
that there were not 10 within that city. God calls Lot out 
and then God sends hell from heaven right down upon Sodom 
and Gomorrah. The exiles in Babylon, what are 
they told while they're in Babylon? Are they told to form a secret 
society and engage in machinations against the civil authority? 
Are they told to usurp the governing authority? Are they told to march 
on headquarters in Babylon and take out Nebuchadnezzar and put 
godly men in their place? Specifically, in Jeremiah 29, 
7, the instructions to God's exiles is to pray for the peace 
of the city where they find themselves. Pray for the peace of a godless 
city in Babylon, the height of wickedness. Nevertheless, as 
the Lord's people, you pray for her peace. Why? Because in the 
peace of the city, the exiles find peace and blessing from 
God. Paul's instruction in 1st Timothy 
2 mirrors that. He says, I urge you that, first 
of all, prayers and supplications and intercessions and giving 
of thanks be made for all men. For who? For kings and all who 
are in authority. What's one of the reasons there? 
So that we as God's people may lead peaceable and quiet lives. The Christian is a preserving 
agent in his or her society. Barnes captures both these meanings 
when he writes, salt renders food pleasant and palatable and 
preserves from putrefaction. There's a lot of Ps there. Imagine 
when the brother preached this, he was able to alliterate very 
finely. He says, salt renders food pleasant 
and palatable and preserves from putrefaction. He says, so Christians, 
by their lives and instructions, are to keep the world from entire 
moral corruption. By bringing down the blessing 
of God in answer to their prayers and by their influence and example, 
they save the world from universal vice and crime. They season society. They preserve society. Gardner 
Spring, in his book called The Power of the Pulpit, highlights 
the effect of Christianity upon a land when he writes, men are 
not found worshipping a golden image or a block of marble or 
a crawling reptile in lands where the Christian pulpit has a place. You see, there's an effect. It 
doesn't mean everybody's converted. It doesn't mean everybody's saved. 
It doesn't mean that everything's going to look like utopia on 
earth, that all of the downcast, all of the trodden, all of the 
difficulty will somehow vanish because there is Christian influence. 
But God, in His grace and in His mercy, stays His judgment, 
stays His wrath, and stays His visitation upon a people because 
of that Christian influence. We need to understand that you 
are the salt of the earth. Notice, secondly, the implication 
of this passage. You are the salt of the earth. 
It's a contrast here, isn't there? You're salt, the earth is messed 
up. The earth needs your seasoning 
influence. The earth needs your preserving 
influence. Jesus is highlighting the function 
of the believer in a wicked and godless age. You are the salt 
of the earth. The earth stands in need. Not 
the earth, the physical ground, the trees, the rocks, the mountains. 
Though those things are in bondage, those things are groaning until 
that day of redemption. He is speaking about the world 
of men. He is speaking about sin and 
its influence. He is speaking about depravity 
and darkness that does affect men on this earth. You are the 
salt of the earth. You are to engage in seasoning. 
You are to engage in preserving the world because of the fall 
and the rampant sinfulness on earth, putrefies, decays and 
rots without Christian influence. We need to take that to heart. 
R.T. Frantz says the job description 
of a disciple is not fulfilled by private personal holiness. He goes on, but includes the 
witness of public exposure. If ever there was a passage calculated 
to expose the monastic life, it is Matthew 5, 13 to 16. Let's 
withdraw ourselves from this wicked earth. Let's withdraw 
ourselves from this wicked world. Let's go be holy in our places 
of holiness. Jesus condemns that. Jesus forbids 
that. Jesus says you are the salt of 
the earth. Augustine said no man has a right 
to lead such a life of contemplation as to forget in his own ease 
the service due to his neighbor. You are saved with a specific 
purpose that we will see as we move through our passage. So 
with reference to the salty of the earth, we've seen some explanation 
implication. Now notice the warning that Jesus 
issues in verse 13. But if the salt loses its flavor, 
how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but 
to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by man. Unsalted salt, 
if you think about it, is like unwet water. Unsalty salt would be like having 
unwet water. Carson points out that the salt 
that Jesus is speaking of wasn't pure sodium chloride. It was 
found around the Dead Sea, and it was oftentimes mixed with 
other minerals. The idea here is that when the 
salt minerals, when the salt compound dissolves, all you're 
left with is a bunch of useless dirt. You're left with a bunch 
of useless minerals. You're left with something that's 
fit only to be thrown out and trampled under the foot of men. 
What is Jesus' point here? I don't think Jesus is engaged 
in the discussion of apostasy. I don't think he is theologizing 
at this particular juncture. I'm not saying that's unimportant. 
I think we need to investigate that and we need to look at this 
passage in that particular light. But Jesus' point here is first 
and foremost ethical. Ethical. If you are unsalty salt, 
you are worthless to the Savior who called you out of darkness 
into marvelous light so that you could season society and 
you could preserve society. If your focus is primarily on 
you twenty-four hours a day, if you are characterized by selfishness 
and by disregard for a world of hurt that you live in, then 
you are not useful in the master's hand. Salt is to be salty. You are, by God's grace and under 
the power of his Holy Spirit, to function as a seasoning agent 
and as a preservative. And it's interesting, the word 
that Jesus uses here, but if salt loses its flavor, the word 
translated or rendered here loses its flavor. is actually the Greek 
word where we get to become foolish. To engage in folly, you've heard 
the word moron. It comes from the Greek word, 
get this, moron. This is the form or this is the 
word that Jesus is using here. What is his statement mean? He 
says, if you fail to be the salt that you are by nature, if you 
fail to carry out your role as a seasoning agent and a preservative, 
you've engaged in falling. You're in foolish rebellion against 
the living God. You are not doing what he has 
saved you to do. You're not bringing him glory. 
You're not a vehicle that that that honors the Lord God most 
high. and does good to those around him. In your folly, in 
your rebellion, in your foolishness, you'll become useless and worthless, 
and the only thing worthy is that you be thrown out and trampled 
underfoot by men. This is a scary passage. I've 
heard it said before, if you want to humble a Christian, ask 
him about his prayer life. I would add to that, if you want 
to humble a Christian, ask him about his witness in a godless 
world. We are to be preservatives. We 
are to be seasoning agents. We are to function in a manner 
that is consistent with our calling as those who have been given 
grace by God, not only to enjoy salvation, not only to revel 
in the blood of Christ, not only to rejoice that we have an imputed 
righteousness, but to be useful in the Master's hand to do His 
bidding in this lower world. You are the salt of the earth. If the salt loses its savor, 
it is worthless. The only thing we can do with 
it at that point is cast it out, let it be trampled underfoot 
by men. Reverend, this passage is a condemning 
statement to much of the faithless witness that you and I engage 
in or the lack of faithful witness. There is forgiveness with God. 
We need to remember that as we move through this exposition. 
There is mercy. There is kindness. We are given 
grace by our Lord when we hear sermons or when we study passages 
like these and we find ourselves falling miserably short. We go 
back to that fountain, which is open for sin and uncleanness, 
not so that we can say, oh, I've got forgiveness. I don't have 
to do anything. I don't have to witness. No, 
we go back to that fountain. We receive that mercy. We revel 
in the blood of Jesus and we go back to our task, hopefully 
zealous to be what the Lord God has called us to be. Grace does 
not promote sin. Grace promotes righteousness. Let's move on to the light of 
the world. Five observations here. First, 
the explanation. You are the light of the world. 
I should have said in verse 13 and here in verse 14, Jesus is 
using an emphatic construction. That means you and you alone 
are the light of the world. I imagine if you travel to the 
south in the United States, you travel to some of the smaller 
towns or villages here in Canada, you would meet people that are 
the salt of the earth. You've heard that statement before. 
He's a real salt of the earth man. She's a real salt of the 
earth lady. And there is a broader application 
of that. But generally the way it's bandied 
about like that, it doesn't mean what Jesus means here. He says, 
you and you alone, believers on the Lord Jesus, disciples 
of the Lord Jesus, those who have been washed in his precious 
blood, those who have an imputed righteousness, you and you alone 
are the salt of the earth. You and you alone are the light 
of the world. If salt has a preserving effect 
on society, light has the positive effect of diffusing the knowledge 
of Christ in society. D. A. Carson comments, he says, 
Life is a universal religious symbol. In the Old Testament, 
as in the New, it most frequently symbolizes purity, as opposed 
to filth, truth or knowledge, as opposed to error or ignorance, 
and divine revelation and presence, as opposed to reprobation and 
abandonment by God. He further says, thus the kingdom 
norms, verses 3 to 12, so work out in the lives of the kingdom's 
heirs as to produce the kingdom witness. Verses 13 to 16, you 
see the progression. Here's what you are in your attitudes 
and in your actions. Here's how you function in society. You are the salt of the earth. 
You are the light of the world. He goes on to say, if salt exercises 
the negative function of delaying decay, and warns disciples of 
the danger of compromise and conformity to the world, then 
light speaks positively of illuminating a sin-darkened world and warns 
against a withdrawal from the world that does not lead others 
to glorify the Father in heaven. You are the light of the world. Secondly, what's its source? 
The light that we are is derivative. That means it's not original 
with us. Jesus isn't looking at his disciples and saying you 
are blessed, wonderful specimens of humanity. He's not looking 
at us today saying you are blessed, wonderful specimens of humanity. You somehow missed out on Adam's 
transgression. You somehow missed out on total 
depravity. Total inability never affected 
you. You're just great guys and girls. The light that we are 
is derivative. The light is Jesus Christ. He is the source of this light. 
The idea is, is that as he saves us, as he brings us to himself, 
he puts light in us. If for anything, he shows us 
as trophies of his grace. There's always that part you 
can play in the world. You mean God saved you? There 
must be hope for one such as I. Right? When you look at a 
trophy case, you don't marvel at the beauty of the trophy. 
You marvel at the one who won the trophy. That's a basic function 
we should all serve. We're trophies of His grace so 
that sinners will look beyond that to the God who saved us. Right? Jesus is the light. It was prophesied of him, according 
to the prophet Isaiah, 42 6 and 49 6, which I think to some degree 
is background for what we're finding here in Matthew's gospel. 
Isaiah 42 6. I, the Lord, have called you, 
speaking of Jesus, in righteousness and will hold your hand. I will 
keep you and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to 
the Gentiles. Isaiah 49, 6. Indeed, he says, 
it is too small a thing that you should be my servant to raise 
up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of 
Israel. I will also give you as a light to the Gentiles that 
you should be my salvation to the ends of the earth. Remember, 
we saw the dawn of the Messianic light back in Matthew chapter 
4, Matthew 4, 14, that it might be fulfilled, which was spoken 
by Isaiah the prophet, saying, the land of Zebulun and the land 
of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee 
of the Gentiles, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great 
light, and upon those who sat in the region in shadow of death, 
light has dawned. is the light of the world. He 
makes that statement clearly, John 8, 12, after dealing so 
graciously with that woman caught in adultery. Jesus spoke to them 
again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows 
me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. You 
see, as light bearers, brethren, we don't try to impress people 
with how good we are. We don't try to dazzle them with 
the ability that we have to shine forth. We are derivative light 
sources. The light is Jesus. He saved 
us. He put this in us. He calls us 
to function in this particular capacity. John 9, 5, As long 
as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. John 1235, 
a little while longer, the light is with you. Walk while you have 
the light. Less darkness overtakes you. 
He who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While 
you have the light, believe in the light that you may become 
sons of light. Calvin says it is a beautiful 
top commendation of Christ when he is called the light of the 
For since we are all blind by nature, a remedy is offered by 
which we may be freed and rescued from darkness and made partakers 
of the true light. I say this to highlight the point 
that will be even more evident when we get to verse 16. The 
salt of the earth and the light of the world does not parade 
itself. Does not carry on as if somehow 
they have arrived. as if somehow they are better 
than the rank and file of men. The salt of the earth and the 
light of the world always remember who they are. They don't shine 
to get glory for themselves. They don't shine so that people 
will pat them on the back. They don't shine so that everybody 
will say, what a great guy or girl he or she is. They shine 
because they must. God has saved them. God has delivered 
them. The light of the world is shown 
in their heart. They have seen the glory of Christ, 
who is the very image of God. The same God who said, let there 
be light in creation, says, let there be light in the new creation, 
in redemption. And it's by His grace and for 
His glory that we see these things. We need to be very humble when 
it comes to carrying out our role as salt and light in this 
world. We can undo everything in our 
Christian witness with pride, with arrogance, with this attitude 
of superiority, with this attitude that we've got it all figured 
out. No, salt and light function humbly 
before God. Salt and light realize who they 
are. It's by grace alone, through 
faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone that we are salt and light. So we see an explanation, the 
source. Notice, thirdly, the purpose. The purpose. You are the light of the world. 
A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they 
light a lamp and put it under a basket but on a lampstand, 
and it gives light to all who are in the house. Now, I'm going 
to really dazzle you here with some learning. What's the purpose that we shine? Hold on to your hats. Imagine 
walking home into your house at night. It's all dark. You 
walk in and you bump all over the furniture. You fall down 
over the coffee table. You gash your knee open. You're 
bleeding all over the place. And then your child says, why 
don't you turn on the light? It's a good idea. I'll turn on 
the light. You charge into some unknown 
place carrying a flashlight on your belt loop. You bump into 
walls and you hurt yourself and you hit yourself. Why don't you 
take the flashlight out and shine it? You see what Jesus is saying? You are functionally to be light. Your job is to shine as light. That is your purpose. That is 
why I've called you out of darkness into marvelous light so that 
you may proclaim the excellencies of him who did that. A city set 
on a hill isn't invisible. Quite the contrary. Interestingly 
enough, keeping with that Isaiah background, some commentators 
see here a reference to Isaiah 2.2, that time when the house 
of the Lord will be set on the mountains and the Gentiles will 
scream to Zion to hear the law of the Lord. A city set on a 
hill is not trying to be invisible, but rather visible. In the same 
token, you don't light a candle and put it under a basket, do 
you? Why bother? You don't bring a 
lantern camping to leave it in your trunk of your car. You bring 
it to illuminate. You bring it to shine. You bring 
it to bring a light to the darkness. This is precisely our Lord's 
statement. The purpose for light bearing 
devices is that they bear light. It is a no-brainer. A city that 
is set on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do they light a lamp and 
put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light 
to all who are in the house. I think at times Jesus uses these 
sorts of metaphors and these sorts of teachings so that we'll 
say, of course. You don't need a twelve-week 
Bible study on the fact that you need to shine as a light. 
You don't need to read big, fat volumes on the need to shine 
as a light, do you? Any more than you need the directions 
for that flashlight that's on your belt loop. Take it out of 
its holster, point it in the direction you want to diffuse 
light into darkness, and then turn the unit on. You say, no 
way, I don't need the directions, all I gotta do is point and shoot. 
That's what I think Jesus is doing when he illustrates points 
like this. So you come away not dazzled 
by the great learning, though that's there. You come away saying, 
God, help me to do what I know to do consistently and to do 
it faithfully. Jesus is ethical in his scope 
here. He wants his people to function 
as lightbearers in society. The New Testament picks up on 
this throughout Romans chapter 13 verse 12. Just rehearsing 
a few of these passages. Romans 13 12. The night is far 
spent. The day is at hand. Therefore, 
let us cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the 
armor of light. Ephesians chapter 5. Ephesians 
chapter 5. I think that most of these passages 
are probably familiar to you. Ephesians 5.18. For you were once darkness, but 
now you are light and the Lord walk is children of light for 
the fruit of the spirit of the fruit of the light is in all 
goodness, righteousness and truth. Finding out what is acceptable 
to the Lord have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of 
darkness, but rather expose them for the shameful, even to speak 
of those things which are done by them in secret. But all things 
that are exposed are made manifest by the light for whatever makes 
manifest is light. Philippians 2. Philippians 2, 
14, passage we all need to reflect on and meditate upon often. Verse 
14 of Philippians 2, do all things without complaining and disputing. Do all things without complaining 
and disputing. Seriously, brethren, does that 
characterize your life and heart? Really? Be honest. I don't want 
you to raise your hand or every eye bowed or every eye closed 
and head bowed and raise your hand if you've got a problem 
with that. Let's look at this passage. Do all things without complaining 
and disputing. Why does Paul write this? Because the natural 
tendency in our hearts is to complain and dispute. There's 
no superfluous words in Holy Writ. The Spirit puts there things 
that we need to take heed to. Notice, do all things without 
complaining and disputing. Isn't that a beautiful thing? Look at what follows on verse 
fifteen, that you may become blameless and harmless children 
of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation 
among whom you shine as lights in the world. Do you see that? We get this idea that to be the 
light of the world, I got to have a Ph.D. in systematic theology. To be the light of the world, 
I have to be the most polished person. I have to be the most 
able with speech. Notably, the light of the world 
you need to stop complaining and stop disputing, according 
to call a Philippians chapter two. It really isn't brain surgery 
or rocket science. Each and every one of us, by 
the Spirit of God and by the Word of God, are able to be light 
bearers in this world. Here, Paul says, do all things 
without complaining and disputing that you may become blameless 
and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of 
a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights 
in the world. But he doesn't stop there. This 
is where at times Christian witness falters. We get this idea that 
as long as I do what I'm supposed to do, I'm having a good, distinct 
Christian witness. Well, notice what he goes on 
to say in verse sixteen, holding fast, or we might translate holding 
forth the word of truth. You see, pagans and moralists 
do good deeds as well, not Christian good works. Christians do good 
works for the glory of God, by the spirit of God, for the good 
of man. We need to hold forth the word 
of truth. See, people can see your holy 
life. People can watch you every day, go to work, come home, kiss 
your wife, love your children, do those things for the rest 
of your life. You keep their grass cut, you 
pay your taxes on time, and they can still go to hell. They need 
to hear the word of truth. They need to hear the gospel. 
The gospel is not your good words. The gospel is not your righteous 
conduct. The gospel concerns the living, 
the doing, the dying of our Lord Jesus Christ and his resurrection. You see, this is what I think 
Paul's twofold approach is here. Shine his lights in a crooked 
and perverse generation. Definitely let your conduct be 
upright, be holy, be a pursuer of righteousness and hold forth 
the word of truth. Tell people about Jesus, tell 
people about the Savior, tell people that Christ died and rose 
again, that I might have everlasting life. Light bearers. The purpose we are light bearers 
is to bear light to shine. We're flashlight. We need to do it. What's the 
implication? Fourthly, again, like we saw, 
the salt of verse 13 is contrasted with the earth. The light of 
verses 14 to 16 is contrasted with the world. The world is 
dark. The world is depraved. The world 
is destitute of the saving knowledge of God most high, isn't it? And 
if you just if you just are conscious for a few minutes of each day, 
you realize this. There's warfare going on throughout 
the world. There's child molestation, murder, 
people being gunned down in the streets over chemicals or drugs. Children being hooked on that 
garbage. There's massive, massive corruption 
in all levels of society. The Christian has the answer. 
We have the response. We know the solution is Christ 
and Him crucified, but we can make heads or tails of a mad 
world around us. It's because of sin. It's an 
effect of the fall. Our first father plunged him 
and himself, him and his race into depravity. I mean, it ought 
to shock us still, but it ought not to surprise us, the kinds 
of wickedness that goes on. The world is dark, it's depraved, 
it's destitute of the knowledge of God due to rebellion and apostasy. Christians must think and Christians 
must live in terms of that. Radiate the light of the gospel. Radiate the truth of Christ in 
him crucified and resurrected. Let your conduct be worthy of 
the gospel. Do those things that God most 
high sanctions when you sin against somebody who is not a believer. Go to them and ask them to forgive 
you. They're not going to see you 
perfect. They're not going to see you wholly and upright. They're 
not going to see you never making a mistake. They ought to see 
you humble yourself and come to them and say, I sinned against 
you. Please forgive me. I wronged 
you. I hurt you. Please forgive me. 
What does that do? Oh, it betrays your Christian 
profession. No, it teaches them Christian profession. It teaches 
them that God is merciful. God does forgive. God calls us 
to live in such a way that when we do sin against someone, we 
seek out reconciliation. That's the implication. Fifthly, 
and finally, in terms of the light of the world, notice the 
goal. Verse sixteen, let your light so shine before men that 
they may see your good works and glorify your father in heaven. 
The believer is to shine, not so men praise the believer. You might read over in chapter 
six and say, we've got a bit of a discrepancy here and gone 
or Matthew five, Jesus says, let your light so shine that 
men may see your good works and give glory to God. Chapter six, 
he says, don't let men see your good works. There's no discrepancy. It's a matter of the heart. What 
Jesus is condemning in Matthew 6 is ostentation. It is display. It is the idea that highlights 
and parades and promotes oneself. Look at how holy I am. Listen 
to my long prayers. Watch the alms that I give to 
the poor. See how great I am and all of 
my religious doing and being. That's what Jesus condemns. But 
Jesus says, with reference to the light of the world, it is 
the natural thrust and tendency of the regenerate believer to 
live in such a way that he's doing good works so that men 
may see those good works and give glory to God. He's to shine, 
not so men praise the believer, but notice as well, he's to shine, 
not so society can achieve a utopian status. That's the problem of the social 
gospel in the early part of the 20th century. By our lives, by 
our conduct, by our activity, we can ameliorate, that means 
clean up and fix, society. There's one fixer of society. There's one hope for the nations, 
and it's Jesus. Isn't that obvious in its statement? Let your light so shine before 
men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father 
in heaven. I'm not saying we should just 
hope our societies crumble and collapse. I'm not saying that 
as private individuals, as private Christians, we exercise the rights 
that we have in a constituted society. I'm not neglecting that 
or negating that. But I am suggesting that our 
motive, first and foremost, is God's glory. Our motive first 
and foremost isn't us. Our motive first and foremost 
isn't even our neighbor. Our motive first and foremost 
is God. Let your light so shine before 
men that they may see your good works and give glory to God. 
That's the thrust, that's the goal, that's the implication. 
R.T. Frantz says it this way, and 
he says it beautifully. He says it is only as this distinctive 
lifestyle is visible to others that it can have its desired 
effect. But that effect is also now spelled out, not as the improvement 
and enlightenment of society as such, but rather as the glorifying 
of God by those outside the disciple community. The subject of this 
discourse and the aim of the discipleship which it promotes 
is not so much the betterment of life as the implementation 
of the reign of God. That's what the kingdom of heaven 
is concerned with, the reign of God. Now again, as that's 
practiced, as it's lived out, as it's fleshed out in our society, 
there will be visible impact, no doubt. What's the goal of 
the believer as he engages in good works? It is to be God word. To be focused, it is to be targeted. He says the goal of disciples 
witness is not so much the better. I'm sorry. The goal of disciples 
witness is not that others emulate their way of life or applaud 
their probity. That's a way of saying they're 
they're honorable mess or their decency. Not looking for applause. Not looking for the pat on the 
back, you're not looking for the plaque on the wall. He says, 
but that they recognize the source of their distinctive lifestyle 
in your father in heaven. That's the point. That's the 
goal. That's why we engage in this 
good conduct. That's why we engage in these 
good works. I think we all need to check 
our hearts. It feels pretty good when people pat you on the back, 
doesn't it? I mean, face it, you don't like it when people 
put you down and rail against you and lie about you and say 
all manner of evil against you falsely for Jesus' sake. It feels 
pretty bad. Yet, when somebody comes along 
and says, oh, it was a very nice thing that you did. Well, don't say, 
oh, I'm just this worthless worm and I'm a horrible monster of 
a human. No, that's not legit. Deflect it and give glory to 
God. Deflect it and give glory to God. There's a rule in sanctification 
that I subscribe to. When we sin, it's all our fault. 
When we do what we're supposed to do, it's all the glory of 
God. If you get that in as your operating 
assumption in terms of sanctification, life will be a lot better for 
you. Because you can undo a good work by your pride. You can undo 
your good work by a lack of humility. You can undo a good work by not 
deflecting it to the glory of God Most High. The good works 
that Jesus mentions here are not up for grabs. The good works that he mentions 
here are not up for grabs. I think this would be good. I 
think that would be good. No, the good works are delineated 
in the attitudes and actions of the Beatitudes. The good works 
are then expounded upon when Jesus goes to the law. You know 
what a good work in society is? Don't commit adultery. Don't 
murder! Don't divorce! Don't lie! Don't cheat! In other words, 
Jesus expounds the moral law of God as that standard of righteousness 
and good works. Don't come away from verse 16 
and say, what's a good work? You've got enough in the Sermon 
on the Mount to keep you busy for fifteen lifetimes. When it 
comes to your religious observance, give! Pray, fast, testify, witness. Isn't that beautiful? Jesus doesn't 
leave us to try and define what a good work is. I mean, a good 
work to you may not be a good work to me. Good work for me 
may not be a good work for you. Jesus doesn't leave us guessing. 
This doesn't mean that only the things specified in the Sermon 
on the Mount, but the Sermon on the Mount provides for us, 
as I said, an exposition of the law of God for the life of the 
believer as a pattern and norm of righteousness and good works. Calvin says we must not imagine 
Christ to be a new legislator who adds anything to the eternal 
righteousness of his father. We must listen to him as a faithful 
expounder that we may know what is the nature of the law, what 
is its object and what is its extent. Praise God that he doesn't 
leave you. Praise God that he doesn't leave 
me. Praise God, that when he says, 
or Jesus, when he says, let your light so shine before men that 
they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven, 
delineates for us good works. Well, brethren, by way of conclusion, 
we learn, I think, a few things and then we close. The first 
is the demand for faithful witness. Isn't that the point of verses 
13 to 16? Here's what you are. Verses 3 to 12. Here's how you 
function. Verses 13 to 16. Here's what 
you are by God's grace here. Here's how you ought to live 
by God's grace. The metaphors Jesus uses are 
most appropriate, aren't they? Remember in that fourth beatitude, 
blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. 
We can all identify, can't we? We all know what that's like, 
the hunger and thirst. We don't know what it's like, like the 
Ethiopians know what it's like. We don't know what it's like, 
like other people throughout the world know what it's like, 
but we know what it is to be hungry and thirsty. And so Jesus uses 
an app metaphor to show that our pursuit of holiness must 
be like that. Well, Salt and Light do the very 
same things. He's not engaged in physics here, 
he's not getting into black holes and quasars and things that make 
the rank and file of us scratch our heads and wonder what's he 
talking about? He is trafficking in things that 
people use each and every day. Salt and Light. Isn't it interesting 
that a little bit of salt goes a long way? You think, well, there's only a handful 
of us, just recently reading in Romans. What's Elijah's complaint 
to the Lord? Elijah wants to depart. Elijah 
wants to leave. He sees this great victory on 
Mount Carmel, and then Jezebel is caught in pursuit. Elijah's 
despondent, Elijah's depressed, Elijah has a melancholy spirit 
under that broom tree. What's God's word to him? I have 
seven thousand knees who haven't bowed to Baal. Did Elijah see 
that? Did Elijah appreciate that? Did Elijah think in terms of 
seven thousand? No, he didn't. And you take seven 
thousand out of the mass of Israel, doesn't seem like a whole lot, 
does it? A little bit of salt goes a long 
way. A little bit of light goes a 
long way in a dark room. Sure, you'd like to have a hundred 
watt light bulb, but a candle will be helpful to. Salt and 
light are wonderful metaphors to highlight our Christian witness, 
salt and light are useful, aren't they? Imagine a world without 
salt. You're all going to go home and 
get high blood pressure now. Pastor Butler said we can use 
salt. I have a friend, a dear friend, Richard Barcelos. He 
taught me you can actually salt Mexican food. I love him for 
that. I always felt guilty salting 
Mexican food because it's already pretty salty. Salt is good. I'm not talking dietary. Check 
with your doctors. If you've got high blood pressure, 
don't go home and salt everything until the nth degree. But it's 
a useful thing, isn't it? How many times have you bitten 
into something and it wasn't that good? You hit it with some 
salt and it's delightful. It's useful. It's wonderful. Could you imagine the world before 
the power grid? Could you imagine walking into 
your house at night, not flipping that light? Can you imagine not 
having the utility, the usefulness of salt and light in your lives? 
You see, Jesus says that is the function of the Christian in 
the world. You are to be useful to the world. 
You are to be a positive effect, a positive influence. You are 
to preserve society, not single handedly like you're the Messiah. 
No, as God's people function the way they're called to, as 
they live the way they're called to, as they work in their workplaces, 
as they're called to, they diffuse that light of the knowledge of 
God. It's a beautiful thing. Secondly, 
we need to understand the threat to faithful witness. Notice that 
this statement concerning our faithful witness comes on the 
heels of a statement concerning persecution. You might read ten 
to twelve and say, wait a minute, I don't want to lose my head 
for Jesus. I don't want to be in prison 
for Jesus. I don't want to lose my job. I don't want to lose 
my vocation just because you don't want to. That's not a valid 
excuse. Persecution does not remove the 
responsibility for faithful witness. That's one of the blessed things 
that we get when we read these updates from the persecuted church. That one that Pastor Porter alluded 
to this morning about that young girl. As I remember it, she was 
imprisoned by her father because she became a Christian. He didn't 
turn her over to the state. He didn't turn her over to the 
magistrate. I could be wrong. I'm pretty 
sure this is this one. He imprisoned her on his premises. The brother knew she was there 
and would bring her food and would bring her water. Finally, 
the brother, under pressure of his own conscience, I believe 
it was about a year, finally ratted the dad out. The girl 
is brought out of that imprisonment. But the last statement just caused 
me to praise. She is serving faithfully the 
Lord Jesus Christ. You see, in the Muslim countries, 
the believers don't say, well, here's persecution. That's a 
valid excuse. We won't be faithful witnesses. 
No, persecution is not a valid excuse. You live as salt, you 
live as light, no matter what the repercussions are. I suspect 
there's two other threats to persecution that affect us, at 
least in the Western world. The one is garden variety laziness. We're not salt of the earth and 
we're not light of the world because we're lazy. We've compromised. We're worldly. We don't do what 
we're called to do because we have let lethargy and apathy 
sort of set into our hearts and has restrained us or constrained 
us to a life of pursuing our own ease. We need to repent. It's not a beautiful statement 
of the psalmist, if thou, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, 
who can stand? But there is forgiveness with 
thee that thou mayest be feared. Don't forget Psalm 130 and don't 
forget 1 John 1.9 as we move our way through exposition of 
the Sermon on the Mount. If we confess our sins, God, 
I've been lazy. I've been afraid of man. That's 
the other thing. I don't want persecution. I don't 
want the apple cart of my life upset. Lord God, please forgive 
me. John assures us if we confess 
our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and 
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Thirdly, the arena for faithful 
witness is the earth, the world. The responsibility for this call 
to faithful witness is not only the churches. This church can't 
go into your workplace. This church isn't going to live 
in your neighborhood. This church does not go everywhere 
and do everything. The church's focus scope mission 
is delimited in Matthew 28. Jesus says, go, therefore, and 
make disciples of all the nations. baptizing them in the name of 
the father of the son of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to 
observe all things that I have commanded you and law. I'm with 
you always to the end of the age. The church is about making 
disciples. The church is about instructing 
disciples, the disciples, the Christians, the individuals, 
then go from those places of instruction and their salt of 
the earth and their light of the world. They seek, by the 
grace of God, to be faithful in their families, faithful in 
their homes, faithful in their job, faithful in society, faithful 
citizens, faithful men, faithful women. That's the arena. The goal, fourthly, is the glory 
of God. We mustn't forget that. Paul 
commands us in 1 Corinthians 10, whether you eat or drink 
or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Why do you 
think we're told this over and over again? And it's difficult. We want glory 
when we do good things. We want praise. We want recognition. 
We want the pat on the back. We want everybody to say, what 
a good guy or what a good girl. You might be saying, no, no, 
that's not me, Pastor Butler, you've got some sick issues that 
you need to work out. Well, that may be the case. The people I've met, people I 
see, guys I read state that this is an ongoing battle. ongoing 
battle. Baruch, the prophet that assisted 
the prophet Jeremiah, he wanted notoriety. He wanted prestige. God says, you're going to have 
your life. What's God's response? Be happy with your life. You 
may never have a love me wall. You may never have the prestige 
and the power and the celebrity status of the great preachers 
of your age, but you're going to have your life. We need to 
be content with that. We need to deflect glory. We 
need to give glory to God Most High. And then fifthly and finally, 
we need to recognize the one alone who exemplifies faithful 
witness. If you're like me, as you move 
through these Beatitudes, as you move through 13 to 16, you 
bow your head and you ask God for forgiveness. You bow your 
head and you ask God for forgiveness. Again, not to revel in forgiveness, 
I can go out and sin so that God forgives me. No, God forgives 
me so that I can go out by His grace to pursue these things 
with vitality, with vigor, with strength. John, in his greeting to the 
churches in Asia Minor, says, when he greets the brethren and 
the triune God, he says, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful 
witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the 
kings of the earth. The gospel of Jesus Christ concerns 
him who was faithful in all things, who effectively and always witnessed 
in order to bring glory to his father. You understand that? Jesus deflected glory. Jesus 
gave glory to his father. Jesus engaged in biblically defined 
good works. Jesus exercised all of his manhood 
for the glory of God most high. He is the champion. He is the 
redeemer of God's elect. He is the one alone in whom we 
find refuge, the one alone in whom we find help, the one alone 
in whom we find salvation. Yes, we need to strive to be 
more faithful. We need to be soft. We need to 
be light. We need to engage our society 
in a godly and Christ honoring way. But we mustn't forget that 
Christ won our redemption. Christ secured our salvation. 
Christ in his life, death and resurrection paid it all. And 
if you don't know Christ today. The message to you is to come 
to him. The message to you is not go out and be salt of the 
earth and be light of the world. You need to go to Calvary. You 
need your sins covered. You need your sins washed. You 
need your sins dealt with. You need guilt removed. You need 
propitiation. You need all the things that 
the gospel affords to sinful men and sinful women. You need 
to come to Calvary. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. 
Receive that forgiveness. Receive that righteousness freely 
by his grace. delight in Him alone, praise 
and worship Him, ask for more love to Christ, O Lord. Increase 
that, and I don't doubt that then our witness will be faithful. Come to the Redeemer. Come to 
the blessed Savior. Come to the one alone who is 
called in the Scripture the faithful witness. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for your Word. We thank you for this description 
of a Christian and his function in society. And God, we pray, 
forgive us. We pray that you would cleanse 
us. We pray that you would put it in us, God, to be the salt 
of the earth and to be the light of the world in a more fervent 
and in a zealous way. how we praise you and how we 
bless you for our Lord Jesus Christ, how he is altogether 
lovely and chief among 10,000. And certainly our lips, our hearts, 
our desire ought to be to praise him and to promote his glory 
in this world. We just ask that you would go 
with us now. We pray that you'd watch over each of your people 
here and that in all things, God, you would be glorified in 
our lives. And we ask through Christ Jesus. 
Amen.