Our reading from Matthew .....is near the beginning .....of Jesus' most famous..... sermon,...... "The Sermon on the Mount."
In our text, .....Jesus called his followers then...as well as us this day.....to the highest standards .....of conduct. (Pause)
He challenged us .....to "turn the other cheek."
He commanded us ....to love our enemy,.... to forgive those who do us wrong, ......and to act ....with the purest motives.
He said there are two roads,..... a wide road that leads to destruction .....and a narrow road..... that leads to life
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And here in today's text ....he calls those who follow Him .....to choose to be .....a godly influence ......on the world .....in which they live.
Those are tough commands.
Jesus clearly .....expects each of us .....to make a difference ... to be an ambassador of the Kingdom.
Hear Jesus words to us: BIBLE "You are the salt of the earth; .....but if salt has lost its taste, ......how can its saltiness be restored? ......It is no longer good for anything,...... but is thrown out ......and trampled under foot" END
Sodium Chloride, ....table salt like Morton's that you purchase..... at a store..... is pure.
But the Morton Salt Co. .....did not exist ....back in the first century.
When they mined salt from a quarry..... or from a pit .....it was never .....completely pure.
Occasionally the salt they gathered ....was so impure .....that it did not taste salty.... at all.
When that happened .....they would cast it ....out the door .....to harden the pathway ......that led to their home.
"It is no longer good for anything,...... but is thrown out ......and trampled under foot"
Beloved.... if we as followers of the Christ.... are going to impact the world...... we have to be usable salt.
We are called to be .....uncompromised, pure, ..... authentic.
When Jesus says:...."You are the salt of the earth."
He is not saying you should be the salt of the earth...OR you could be the salt of the earth.
He is stating a fact.... By accepting him as your Lord and Savior ...... (Slow) You are the salt of the earth.
You in the Greek is PLURAL You as Believers are salt.
It is not an option.
The only choice is what kind of salt you will be.
Salt can become adulterated and useless.
It is common in Syria and Palestine..... to see salt scattered in piles on the ground .....because it has lost its flavor, ...its tint ....its tang.
You are called to .."Be Authentic."
So, .....how authentic is your walk?
Our Lord states a fact... he is clear... you are.... You as Believers are....The salt of the earth.
Do the people that God places in your life ....recognize that there is a difference ..... in the way you act....in the way you live?
You are the salt of the earth.... It is a promise....
You are the light of the world... It is a promise.
Do not hide your light under a bushel?
Do not let your salt... lose its taste?
Beloved ....You and I ...We .......may be the only Bible..... that our neighbor ....will ever see.
We are called.... To Be Authentic in our walk.... To let the salt work... to let our light shine.
The key .....is to be authentic; ....not trying to appear to be perfect..... people know .....when you are wearing a mask.
In Ancient Greece .....they had great theatrical events and plays ......in large amphitheaters.
They did not have microphones ....to make their voices heard, .....and they did not have cameras..... to magnify their images, .....so they invented a system.
They developed large masks.
The masks .....made them look .....like the characters ...they portrayed.
Built into the masks ....were megaphones ....to amplify their voices.
The actors on stage, .....got behind their masks.... and they became somebody else,..... someone different ....than they ...really were.
The Greeks called these types of actors........ "The Hypocrites." (Pause)
All of us at times have .... Have worn this mask.
And some wear it so often .....that they have forgotten .....who they really are.
We all have worn the mask .... Of the .... "The Hypocrites".
Yet.... Our Lord warns us.... of the consequences.... To those who stay behind the mask of the hypocrite.
BIBLE. "Woe to you teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean." END Mathew. 23:25-28:
God wants to change us, .....but not superficially.
We need a heart transplant... we need to be transformed from within ... so that we no longer desire ......to put on the mask.
God calls us to be transformed .....conformed to the image of His Son.
Beloved be the good news. Be the authentic light be the authentic salt
Make a friend.... Be a friend....then bring a friend to Christ. (Long Pause)
"A Peanuts cartoon, showed Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown. She said,
"Guess what, Chuck.
The first day of school .....and I got sent .....to the principal's office.
It was your fault, Chuck."
He said, "My fault? ......How could it be my fault?
Why do you say everything's my fault?"
She said, "You're my friend, .....aren't you, Chuck?
You should have been a better ....influence on me." (Pause)
While Peppermint Patty .....was seeking ....to pass the buck, ....she was in a very real sense..... right.
We should be a better influence.... A positive influence.... on our friends.
We all clearly have an influence, ....all be it .....for good or for bad."
We are always some type of influence...... to those ....in our lives.
You followers of the Christ are the Salt of the Earth.
You are the salt of the earth..... It is a promise.
So what are you doing.... As salt of the earth?
Salt is a seasoning, ....a preservative, .....but unless it is BROUGHT INTO CONTACT ....with another OBJECT .....its influence is wasted!
Salt becomes Invisible .....to have ...a Visible effect. REPEAT
Salt by itself is nothing more than little fine particles ...... and in that state..... it is worthless.
BUT when it is rubbed .....onto and into meat,..... or added to food ......it becomes INVISIBLE ......and THEN ......it becomes ......what it was intended for ...... INFLUENCING THE FLAVOR!
Are you having an effect on the world.
Are you influencing the flavor .....of those that God has sent into your life?
You are.... The salt of the earth. You are...salt.
Salt that sits in the shaker .....is of no use.
Much like those, .....who become complacent,..... who no longer share grace; .....who refuse to take a moral stand; ......who refuse to share their faith.
They are sitting..... in a shaker!
It is time to be authentic ....
It is time to take off the mask.....
Do Not play the role of the hypocrite.
Take your salt ....off the shelf .... And start bringing flavor.... to the people that are in your life.. (Pause)
You are the salt of the earth.
You are the light of the world.
Today is the day!
Lent is the season..... to dedicate or rededicate your life ......to the ...... to Lordship of Christ Jesus.
Today ... is the day.
(Slow Down)
Beloved .....You are the salt of the earth!
You are the light of the world.
Amen! and Amen!
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