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INTRODUCTION
1.
Real or fake? True or false? Authentic or counterfeit?
Genuine or knockoff? 2.
If you’ve ever traveled in NY – lots of vendors selling
namebrand merchandise 3.
Gucci, Chanel, Prada – there are lots of counterfeits out
there – caution 4.
Shouldn’t be surprised that there are counterfeit
Christians as well 5.
2 Tim.3:1-5 “difficult times will come…holding to a form of godliness” 6.
Think
about it for a minute. a.
What
does a “real” Christian look like? b.
How
does genuine discipleship manifest itself? c.
How
can you recognize the real thing? 7.
Four verses in the Bible help us to distinguish between the
fake and the real thing when it comes to Christianity 8.
The
text provides us with a PORTRAIT
OF A TRUE BELIEVER a.
we
can use these 4 verses as
a “plumb line” of sorts – assess ourselves b.
help
us determine if we’re truly following through on our commitment READ
Matthew 5:13-16
• You are the salt of the earth…
• You are the light of the world I. SOME INITIAL
OBSERVATIONS
A.
These word pictures Jesus uses – are
stated as requirements B.
Jesus says to those who have committed to be his followers,
“you are the salt of the
earth you are the light of the world.” C.
No “ifs, ands, or buts about it.” D.
Our authenticity measured by the degree to which we meet
these standards. E.
Jesus doesn’t say you are like salt or that we will
be light some time in
the future. No, he says you are
these things. F.
This is our calling. It’s our purpose. It’s who we are
- why we live in this world. G.
The word “you” in Greek is emphatic.
It literally means, “you, my followers, and none others, are the
salt and the light!” H.
But let’s dig deeper.
What exactly
is Jesus getting at here? I.
What is he saying about authentic followers with the phrases,
“salt of the earth” and “light of the world?” Genuine Disciples…
II. ARE PRECIOUS A.
To
comprehend we must look back in history B.
Salt and light today are taken for granted – not precious at all. C.
We
have salt in all forms in abundance (salt packets, shakers, sea
salt, blocks) D.
For
us salt is everywhere. The cheapest
thing you can buy in
store. E.
And
light is no real big
deal for us either. 1.
Lights
on our key rings and our children’s
shoes and cell phones. 2.
Without
thinking we flip on switches as we enter a room F.
But,
for the people sitting on that mountainside listening to our Lord
that day, things were very different. G.
Back then, salt and light not so common - both were very
precious. H.
Salt
- so highly esteemed the Greeks thought it was divine. I.
Roman
soldiers were often paid in salt. 1.
This
is where the phrase, “not worth his salt” comes from. 2.
Salt
is also the root for our word “salary.” J.
Similarly,
light was treasured because it wasn’t easy to obtain K.
Great
trouble/expense to have even the feeble illumination of an oil
lamp L.
People
carried little clay lamps,
oil, wicks along with flint 1.
No
light switches to turn on—no street lights to line the roads. 2.
After
sunset people truly stumbled in the dark. Light
was precious. M.
Mark
Adams: When Jesus used these
two metaphors – salt and light, those people would have
understood him to say that, in his opinion, genuinely devoted
disciples were rare and precious! They are worth their weight in
gold or salt. And if you encounter someone who is really serious
about following Jesus, passionate about becoming more and more
like him, committed to doing his will, remember that individual
for he is priceless! N.
Isa 43:3-4 I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior… you are precious in My
sight. O.
But
why are true followers so valuable? III. MAKE THE LIVES OF OTHERS BETTER A.
Salt adds flavor
to food and light eliminates
depressing shadows B.
Similarly Christ-followers enrich the lives of those around
them. C.
They add “spice” and “light” to a dark, spiritually
bland world. D.
Like salt, they add flavor to life, and their lives
brighten up the lives of people who know them in the same way a
light makes a room more cheery the moment you flip its switch. E.
Hershell Ford - Devoted disciples bless those around them
because they are selfless, happy, optimistic, joyful,
fun-to-be-with people. A genuine disciple is someone that other
people like being around. F.
This is one area in which many of us fail as disciples. 1.
We’re more joyLESS
than joyFULL 2.
It’s so easy for Christians to slip into negativity
in this fallen world of ours 3.
We spend our time focusing
on all the bad things in life. 4.
We complain and gripe and become people who are devoid of joy, and this turns other
people off. It repels
lost people. G.
Joe Aldrich: “we must be good news before we can share the Good News.” H.
Another writer tells the story of a woman who was asked if
she would become a Christian. She replied, “No,
I have enough to be sad about already.” This misconception
is our fault. You see, many people observe “fake” disciples,
Christians who take their eyes off of our all-loving, all-powerful
heavenly Father and become sad and insipid rather than salty
disciples who embrace a dark demeanor instead of allowing the
light of God to reflect on their faces. Authentic disciples are
not this way. They are people whose happiness and optimism is
fueled by their trust in God. They live as if they actually
believe his promises. They walk close to our Lord! And because
they do, they experience abundant life, a meaningful life that
overflows with living! Real disciples know how to laugh and
rejoice! They embrace this outlook on life because they know God
loves them! They know their sins are forgiven! They know that no
matter what “bad” comes their way heaven is near! And this
kind of attitude is precious in this dark and dreary world of
ours. Let me ask you, do you go around
with a long face griping about life? When you converse do you find
yourself always slipping into “complaining mode”, grumbling
and complaining about your health, grumbling and complaining about
high prices about traffic about the church and so on and so on. Is
your focus on the inevitable problems of life? Have you allowed
the struggles of living in a fallen world to cause your “salt”
to lose it’s savor? Have you focused so much on your own
problems that you are hiding the light of God under a bushel full
of negative attitudes? Are you the guy other people tend to steer
clear of because life is hard enough without having to deal with
your negativism? Or are you the kind of individual who people
gravitate to, the kind of person that makes life better, the kind
of person who embraces a joy that is contagious? I.
Phil 2:14, 18 “do
everything without complaining…be glad and rejoice!” J.
Jesus tells us one reason genuine disciples are precious is
because they make the lives of the people who know them better.
IV. KEEP THE WORLD
FROM GETTING WORSE
A.
Let’s face it,“The world is like ROTTING MEAT and the
world is a DARK place B.
Enter Salt and Light C.
In the same way that salt extends the life of meat and in
the same way that light illuminates and guides, we are to be involved
in slowing the decline of our culture, helping people to see why
right is always better than wrong. D.
Prov. 14:34 “Righteousness exalteth a
nation….” 1.
Not nebulous righteousness - not righteousness independent
of people 2.
But a righteousness that comes from those who emulate
Christ E.
Ray Pritchard says, “We
who follow Christ are to be a moral disinfectant stopping the
spread of evil. We are to be the conscience of the community,
speaking out for what is true and right.” F.
True
disciples go against the flow, they slow down the moral and
spiritual spoilage in the world. G.
It is our job to help keep this fallen world from getting
worse. H.
Peanuts
cartoon showed Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown in which
she said, “Guess what
Chuck? The first day of school, and I got sent to the
principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck.” Charlie
brown responds, “My fault?
How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my
fault?” To which she declares, “You’re
my friend, aren’t you, Chuck? You should have been a better
influence on me.” While Peppermint Patty was trying to
pass the buck, she was also speaking some truth. We should be a
good influence on those around us. It’s our calling. It’s our
job. In August of 2000, Matt Freidman, a
reporter for the Jackson
Mississippi Clarion-Ledger, shared the following encounter
with a man who understood this principle of authentic
discipleship. Friedman
writes: “Several
months ago I was on a TV show to discuss with other panel members
recent problems plaguing the Jackson, Mississippi, community. The
city council was in disarray because the council president and
another councilman were headed to jail. The council president had
been caught making shady deals with a strip club in a re-zoning
ordinance. The panel moderator, a newswoman named Katrina Rankin,
looked at me and asked, ‘Matt, whose fault is all of this?’ Suddenly, I became agitated. I was prepared to tell her in dramatic
fashion that we are a nation of laws and that the council
president trampled on those laws. If we were looking for a place
to lay the blame, there was only one place to put it–smack dab
in his lap as he sat in his well-deserved jail cell. That is what
I was going to say. But
I never got the words out. One of the panelists sitting next to me
was a gentleman named John Perkins—author, Bible teacher, and
community developer. Before I could respond, Perkins answered,
‘it’s my fault.’ all heads turned his way and he elaborated.
‘I have lived in this community for decades as a Bible teacher.
I should have been able to create an environment where what our
council president did would have been unthinkable because of my
efforts. You want someone to blame. I’ll take the blame. All of
it.’” I.
Perkins knew he had a job to speak
up, to be a positive influence and so
he honestly felt he had failed here -- failed to be a positive
influence. J.
This makes me think…. K.
Salt and light people
– that’s what disciples
are - MAKE A DIFFERENCE 1.
Want to be good at personal evangelism? Be a Salt and Light
person 2.
Want to bring others to Christ? Be a Salt and Light person L.
Those people on the mountainside that day knew that for
salt to be a preservative it had to be rubbed into the meat –
can’t leave it in the barrel M.
They also knew that light was only good when used in the
darkness. N.
Jesus expects his followers to be involved
in the real world. O.
Authentic disciples don’t isolate
or insulate themselves
from society. P.
A Christian doesn’t hide his light - he lets it shine. 1.
He or she gets out there and interacts with lost people! 2.
He applies his faith to life. 3.
Remember, Jesus did not say, “you
are the light of the church.”
He said, “you
are the light of the world.” V. POINTS OTHERS TO
GOD
A.
Genuine disciples point away from themselves and to Christ.
B.
There is a story of the little boy who was visiting a
cathedral with his mother. As he looked around at the beauty of
the stained glass windows curiosity finally got the best of him
and he asked, “Who are all
those people?” To which his mother responded, “They are Christians.”
And then sensing this teaching moment, she asked,
“Do you know what
Christians are?” She let him think for a moment and then
said, “They are people the light
shines through.” C.
That’s what real disciples are like—they let Jesus
shine through them. D.
They follow Jesus so closely that they literally let Him
use them in such a way that they “disappear” and people see
Jesus instead. E.
If you ever see someone who does good to be seen of men,
what you are really seeing is a counterfeit disciple. F.
Matt 23:2,5 – Pharisees did works to be seen
of men G.
Authentic disciples always lift Jesus up. H.
When Jesus said, “let your light shine.” 1.
He didn’t tell us to hold it up and say
“Look at me. I’m
a Christian. I am a good and wonderful person. 2.
A light does not call attention to itself. 3.
Rather it points the way through the darkness. I.
Salt is a great illustration of this principle of
discipleship 1.
One of its functions is to make something taste good. 2.
When I eat a piece of corn on the cob I don’t say “That
was great salt!” 3.
No I say, “That was great corn on the cob.” 4.
Those who put salt on their watermelon….great salt? No!
Great watermelon J.
The job of the salt is to REVEAL the flavor of the
meal K.
The job of a true believer is to REVEAL the flavor of
the Savior! L.
1
Pet. 2:12 Keep
your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so they may because of
your good deeds glorify God. CONCLUSION1.
Four little verses about salt
and light 2.
But what a powerful message from Jesus, our Savior and the
very Son of God 3.
The
authentic Christian, the true follower is a person of SALT and LIGHT 4.
Become the Salt – become the Light – By coming to Jesus
today and obeying Him. He is the source of LIGHT. 5.
Already a Christian? BE
THE SALT BE THE LIGHT THIS WEEK and you will draw people to
Christ!
Glory
to God in the church by Christ Jesus
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