Salt and Light, Part 1

Driving home: most of the woes that have come upon us in our modern brand of Christianity is that we fear like we fear the plague that we shall become too unlike the world in which we live whereas our Lord Jesus makes the statement in…

The analogy of water (liquid, vapor, ice) being H2O in different forms illustrates that a Christian's difference from the world is not superficial but a basic, molecular-level transformation, not just a slight variation.

if there's no moral question involved they eat like others in the general way that they must make a living and raise a dollar and put bread on the table but oh he said they're not of this world the gold the purposes that dominate the life utterly different from the world just as the salt is different from that which it flavors and the light is different from that which it illuminates so on all the basic issues of life a true Christian is utterly and radically and basically different from those outside of Christ the difference between water in its liquid form in its liquid form and water in its...

12:33 - 13:17 Read in full sermon

Driving home: shift the whole sphere of their basic interest from earth to heaven from time to eternity from self to Christ from the flesh to the Spirit from their will to His will that's Christianity that's Christianity anything less…

The analogy of salt flavoring meat highlights the basic difference between a Christian and the unregenerate world, emphasizing that salt has a unique capacity to flavor that meat does not.

and that we hold a few convictions that they don't but basically we're at this bottom we're all pretty much the same oh no beloved no it's not that way at all there's a basic difference between that which you'll sprinkle on your meat today and the meat upon which it sprinkles there's a basic difference if you don't believe me shred up your meat and try to flavor your carriage with it it has no capacity to flavor a basic difference and it's when the church has captured this thought that her glory and her power lies in her difference from the world in which she lives when the church

14:02 - 14:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: shift the whole sphere of their basic interest from earth to heaven from time to eternity from self to Christ from the flesh to the Spirit from their will to His will that's Christianity that's Christianity anything less…

The example of the early church in Acts 5, where 'no man dared join themselves to their number' due to their distinctiveness, illustrates that the church's power lies in its difference from the world, leading to genuine conversion.

captures that then we're blessed it's said of the early church in Acts chapter 5 of the rest dared no man join themselves to their number they saw something so different so otherworldly they saw something about those people that gave evidence that they were so captivated with their risen Christ that they dared not join themselves to their number those people are different from us but that the next verse says the Lord added daily such as should be then when the Holy Spirit worked through this different body of people and transformed men and women with mighty power then they were identified with...

14:47 - 15:31 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second point is that Christians, though different, must be in constant contact with the world. Using the salt analogy, Martin argues against monastic isolation, citing Jesus'…

The analogy of a salt shaker near meat, or salt near rotting meat, illustrates that salt (the Christian) must physically touch and contact that which it is to flavor or preserve (the world) to be effective.

it's unsavory and flat your wife just missed the mark this morning and so you've got your salt shaker there you can draw the salt shaker over and put it within one thirty second of an inch of that meat but it's still going to be unsavory meat until the salt gets out of the shaker and touches that which needs to be flavored now to reverse the picture and it's hard for us to think of this because we've got refrigerators but long before they did the primary function of salt in biblical lands was as a either a purifier their sacrifices were purified ceremonially with salt or as a preservative now ...

17:45 - 18:30 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The second point is that Christians, though different, must be in constant contact with the world. Using the salt analogy, Martin argues against monastic isolation, citing Jesus'…

The example of Jesus being 'separate from sinners' (Hebrews 7:26) yet a 'friend of publicans and sinners' (Matthew 11:19) illustrates the harmonious paradox of the Christian being different from the world yet in contact with it for ministry.

illustration I know of this that seems to be on the surface a paradox and a contradiction is the life of our Lord Jesus Christ and I'm thrilled when I think of how wonderfully harmonious these two aspects are in the life of Christ will you look with me at a verse in the book of Hebrews for a moment Hebrews chapter 7 keep your finger in that passage if you will please you found Hebrews 7 then we'll turn to the gospel according to Matthew chapter 11 Hebrews 7 Matthew 11

20:44 - 21:27 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: The third point is that a Christian exists to do the world good. Unlike things with intrinsic beauty, salt's value is purely functional; if it loses its savor, it's useless…

The analogy of a beautiful cloud (which has intrinsic beauty even without function) versus salt (which has no intrinsic beauty and is only good for its function) illustrates that a Christian's existence is primarily for the good of others, not for self-admiration.

there are some things that in themselves are beautiful whether they perform any function whatsoever and you go out in the day when the sky is that deep blue and you see some of these big puppy cumulus clouds up there well if they never gave a drop of rain they'd just be beautiful to look at you see the cloud has a function that is a function but if it had no function it'd be beautiful just to look at a cloud it's beautiful it'd make an artist sit down for hours and try to capture there are other things which have a definite function in life but if they perform no function they'd be beautiful i...

28:52 - 29:37 Read in full sermon

Driving home: when he said to his disciples you're the salt of the earth you know what he was saying about the earth he was saying that it's a decaying corrupting world

The historical anecdote of optimistic predictions for the 20th century (abolition of wars, sickness, poverty) based on evolution, contrasted with the reality of two world wars and ongoing bloodshed, illustrates the world's inherent corruption and decay, confirming Christ's assessment.

with all the intellectual with all the scientific advance of our century and the world what greater witness to the truth of our Lord's word than what we see before our eyes every day in the newspaper and over the airways that this world is a petrified decaying corrupt world some of you who are old enough to remember we have some of you here when the turn of this century came and some of us just have to take what we read but some of you perhaps remember when people were looking forward to the 20th century they had discovered they thought the marvelous truth of

34:02 - 34:47 Read in full sermon

Driving home: the only basic answer to the basic problems of our society is more individual Christians who will be salt to check the process of decaying who will be linked to illuminate the darkness

Examples of Christians in the workplace (dirty jokes stopping) and high school (conversation changing) illustrate how individual believers, by their mere presence and clear testimony, act as salt and light, checking decay and bringing illumination.

society is penetrated by individual Christians only different from that society but in contact with it that the process is going to be checked you see how it works in your shop the fellows gather Sunday and Monday morning to tell the latest dirty jokes they picked up over the weekend and if you're a Christian and they know you are you walk into that group and suddenly they stop their story don't they a true Christian is salt see it he's salt he's salt any of you fellows and girls that have got the real thing you're in your high school the fellows are standing between classes in the corner spou...

49:33 - 50:17 Read in full sermon