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Sermon on the Mount: “Let Your Light Shine!”

Writer's picture: Pastor Nathan NassPastor Nathan Nass

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:13-20 NIV)

When I was a seminary student, I got to go on a trip to Israel. One night, we stayed in a hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. The old pastor leading our group us told us rather mysteriously that we all needed to meet by the lake that night at 10 p.m. He didn’t explain why. It sounded kind of strange! So we gathered there in the dark. What were we going to do? As we looked around, all we could see were little lights flickering in the darkness on the hills around the lake. Other than those lights, it was pitch black. Finally, the old pastor showed up. He silently opened his Bible and read: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

I had heard those words a hundred times before, but that night they finally sank in. We stood there in the darkness and watched the lights flicker around us from miles away. And Jesus’ words hit home: You are those lights! Not in a bad way, but in a good way. We sometimes think: “I’m nothing special. I’m one of billions. I don’t have a purpose.” That’s not true! To God, you are a light shining in the darkness. Jesus wants you to know he has a big purpose for your life.

You are the light of the world.” What does a light do? A light brings hope. A light brings comfort. A light brings peace and joy. Like the moon reflects the sun’s light, you reflect Jesus. Your life is meant to point to Jesus. To a better way. To Jesus’ love. To Jesus’ forgiveness. To the peace that comes from knowing you’re going to heaven someday. You let your light shine with the effort you put in at work, with the love you show your children, with the kindness you give to strangers… “that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

The world needs you! This dark world needs Christians who say, “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This dark world needs Christians who say, “As high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11-12). This dark world needs Christians who share God’s promise: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name, you are mine” (Isaiah 43:2). This dark world needs Christians who say, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Every single Christian has a powerful purpose in life. Let your light shine! The world needs you.

But not just for light. “You are the salt of the earth.” That doesn’t sound like a compliment! But salt in Jesus’ day was important. It preserved. It preserved meat from spoiling. It preserved bodies from decaying. Without salt, food was wasted. Lives were lost. Disease spread. Jesus also calls us the “salt of the earth.” Christians help keep the world from spoiling. Christians keep sin from spreading out of control. We are the “salt of the earth” when with our lives and actions we stand up for what’s right in God’s eyes and condemn what’s wrong. It’s a tough job, because like salt on a wound, God’s Word can sting and burn. But this is what a Christian does. You are salt!

Do you know what else the world needs? This dark world needs Christians who say, “God created male and female” (Genesis 1:27). This dark world needs Christians who say, “Marriage is one man and one woman” (Genesis 2:24). This dark world needs Christians who say, “The government cannot save you. Only Jesus can” (Psalm 146:3-5). This dark world needs Christians who say, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). This dark world needs Christians who say: “This is love for God: To keep his commands” (1 John 5:3). This dark world needs Christians who say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Matthew 4:17).

You are the salt of the earth! Note this: Salt doesn’t stop decay. It slows it down. Christians help slow the moral decay in society. Christians help slow the spread of sin in their cities and countries. Maybe an example would be right here in Oklahoma. By God’s grace, there are still a lot of Christians in Oklahoma. That matters. Because of Christians in Oklahoma, the shift of society away from God has been slower than in other parts of the United States. Wouldn’t you agree? It’s still decaying. Sin is still spreading. But Christians make a difference. You matter.

You are the salt of the earth! That’s hard. It can be nice to shine the light of God’s grace. It’s not easy to be the salt of God’s law convicting sin in sinful hearts. “What if people don’t like to hear that? What if people don’t want to listen? Even worse, what if people get upset?” Remember what Jesus said last week? “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:11). God gives us this unique purpose: To be salt and light. To share law and gospel. To point out sin and point to Jesus. Let your light shine!

Imagine what the world would be like without Christians. Without people who do their jobs to the best of their ability because they are working for the Lord. Without people willing to serve instead of being served. Without people willing to call sin sin. Without people not afraid to stand up for what God says. Without people who are not afraid of death. Without people who say, “Jesus loves you.” Without people who speak up for those who can’t speak for themselves. I don’t want to imagine a world like that! The world needs Christians. The world needs you! That’s just how God has planned it: We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world!

So are we? I heard a story about a young man who went off to work in a different state. His family and pastor were worried about him. He was far from home. There was no church nearby. He was going to be working with a pretty tough crowd. So when he came home to visit his family one summer, his pastor asked him: “What’s it like being a Christian over there. It can’t be easy!” “Oh, don’t worry,” he said. “Nobody even knows I’m a Christian.” Is that you and me?

Jesus has big plans for us as Christians. He has made us to shine like a city on a hill. To stand up for what’s right. To bring glory to God. But it’s a whole lot easier if people don’t know we’re Christians. Except, that’s not an option! Jesus adds a powerful warning: “If the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.” Jesus added, “Do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,” Jesus didn’t come so that we can say, “It doesn’t matter what I do.” God’s commands still stand. A light that doesn’t give light isn’t a light. A Christian who isn’t concerned about God’s commands, about living a Christian life, isn’t a Christian. God will throw us out!

So listen to what Jesus came to do. He says, “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” Jesus didn’t come to do away with all of God’s commands. He came to be our perfect Savior. He was salt every single day as he proclaimed God’s Word. He was light every single day, as he pointed people to eternal life through faith in his blood. And when he died on the cross, he forgave us. For everything. Jesus says, “I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

This is so important to understand and believe. God remains serious about his commands. Our society today loves to say, “God is love!, so you are free to live however you want!” That’s a lie. God still commands that we live according to his will and his Word, not ours. If your solution to your sin is to ignore it or excuse it—“God is love!”—you will be surprised in hell. But the gospel —the good news—is that Jesus fulfilled everything in our place for every time we’ve sinned. The solution to sin is the perfect life and innocent death of Jesus our Savior. Salvation is found in repenting of our sins, turning away from them, and finding forgiveness and light in Jesus.

You see, our light doesn’t come from us, it comes from Jesus. Where we’ve failed as salt and light, Jesus fulfilled. And he comes back to us and picks us up and says, “I am not done with you yet! I am the light of the world. He who follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). As Christians, we are what Jesus is, because he makes us like him. Jesus doesn’t say, “Be salt and light.” He says, “You are salt and light.” Like a light bulb, you don’t stand out because of you. You stand out because of the Light that’s in you—Jesus Christ. The God who made you and died for you and saved you wants to make you shine for him.

And there’s one thing in particular will make you stand out in our world today: Holding on to God’s Word. Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” If you want to be great, then practice and teach the Word of God. Base your life on it. Christians treasure all of God’s Word.

Because that’s what our world needs. The world doesn’t need more absent fathers. It needs men who love the Word of God. The world doesn’t need more people destroying marriage. It needs Christians who trust Jesus enough to keep sex for marriage. The world doesn’t need more dirty joke tellers. The world needs more Christians who speak the Word of God. “Whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.” You are salt.

And there are hearts all around us—big and small—that are hurting so much. Why are movie stars overdosing on heroin? Why are teens committing suicide at higher and higher rates? Why are so many Americans discontent with their lives? Something is missing, and you’ve got it! It’s Jesus and his light. Remember what a light brings? Hope. Comfort. Joy. So don’t say you don’t have a purpose! Lights shine brighter in darkness. You are light. Let your light shine.

To help you remember that, make a point once in a while to go outside on dark, dark nights, when even the moon isn’t shining. Look up at the black sky and see all the little lights. The little stars. Sure, they seem small. But they are shining. They are always shining. Giving light and hope to people all over the world. And when you see those little lights shining in the darkness of the sky, think, “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden…. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”


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