JSM | Identity .8 | Salt & Light (8/4/2024)

JSM | Identity .8 |Salt & Light
By Rev. Nicholas Sybrowsky
Heb. (נּט רּקהץ מּןביםךשד דּטנרם'דלט)
Gk. (Βψ Ρεω. Νιξηολασ Σψβροωσκψ)

            

Invocation:

Almighty Creator.  Merciful redeemer.  Thank you for this special occasion of assembly in your house of prayer.  Have your way in the fellowship of our congregation today.  Hear our praises, our prayers, our admiration and our thanksgiving.  We love you.  We’re gathered today to invite you to reign in our hearts, our minds and in our spirit.  We honor you and give you glory.  Amen.

Opening Word & Reading for Worship:

Lesson from a Dog of the Florida Baptist Witness

"One day Sir Walter Scott threw a rock at a stray dog intending to shoo him away.  He threw the rock straighter and stronger than he intended and broke the dog’s leg.  Instead of the dog running away, he came limping up to Sir Walter and licked the hand that threw the rock, and Sir Walter Scott said he could never get over that as long as he lived.

That dog preached the Sermon on the Mount as few people have ever practiced it.

What the world needs is Christ reincarnated in the Christian.—Florida Baptist Witness." ~Walter B Knight (1)

God’s Kingdom has come to the least likely People.  You & I are the least likely people.  We are all called as disciples of Jesus to be the salt & light in the world!  

Intro: 

 Identity in the image of the Creator.  The Creationist theological view is monotheistic.  We are human beings.  We are man as in mankind.  God doesn’t have one singular gender.  The One True God; the Creator is all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present and all gender.  In our literature we use the pronouns Father and He and Him for the sake of communication and the sense of honoring origin.  This can be a tough concept to wrap the mind around and comprehend.  The point I want to make is that the Creator’s concern with identity is I AM.  In other words, I exist, and I created you.  

When we lose sight of our spiritual identity as the created by the Creator, we lose vision of our humanity and we sub-create new ideas using our sense of intelligence in a wicked way that causes us to stray from our image and identity. 

I AM created you.  I AM Created.  We are the creation.  There is a power greater than us.  That power belongs to the Creator.  In JSM as you know the Messiah opens up with identity to set the tone for everything else, he wants to teach.  Remind you this message is for the created who choose to follow Jesus the Christ and choose to let him rescue, redeem and resurrect.  Anyone who desires to fulfill these beatitude supreme character traits as a disciple of Jesus Christ must proclaim him to be their Lord and Savior.  IF they are to be perfect as God is perfect.  To perfect the Moral Law, we need the Creator who created the moral law.

Today we examine an illustration that the LORD used to transition from identity epigrams to core fundamental practicing of the moral law; the ten commandments.  What I find beautifully amazing is that he uses another epigram that in my opinion has a combination flavor of Jesus’ various styles of teaching.  Remind you of His 5 methods: The Parable, Argument, Q & A, Object Lessons and the epigram a terse [(abrupt or short)], pungent [(forceful or sharp)] statement that would stick in the mind of His hearer like a barbed arrow. 

 Main Text:

(Matthew 5:13-16 NIV) "(13) "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. (14) "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. (15) 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. (16) In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." ~Jesus of Nazareth the Christ

Cross Ref:  

(Mark 9:49-50 NIV) "(49) Everyone will be salted with fire. (50) "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other."" ~Jesus Christ

(Luke 14:34-35 NIV) "(34) "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? (35) It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; it is thrown out. "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear."" ~Jesus the Messiah

In my opinion, within this passage Jesus appears to have blended all 5 of his teaching methods. 

Object Lesson:  Salt and Light.  Q & A:  “How can it be made salty again?”.  Argument:  “A town built…{read it :14-15}” Not full fledge argument on Matthew’s account, but there is a sense of argumentative theme.  Parabolic:  Metaphors Salt and Light applied to Spiritual Identity characteristics of God’s children. An astonishing finish to the beatitudes.  Epigramic:  In that it is short, terse and sticks in the mind of the hearer.  

1. Salt as an object :13.  Be salt, but not too salty and become refreshing and renewed.  Out with the old salt and in with the new.

Salt preserves.  Salt enhances flavor. Salt is a mineral that we need for a proper balance in the chemistry of our biological make up.  Salt is used on our frozen roads in the winter to melt ice and enhance safety. Ocean water is heavier than fresh water or lake water increasing density and nutrients in the Marine Life Ecosystem.  Greater density enhances buoyancy and promotes better underwater communication arguably.  Salt purifies & cleans.  Seasoning, savory, purity and preservation are the intent here.  Is your approach and presentation to others attractive, delicious, flavorsome and aromatic?  Are you pleasant to be around?  Do you present a Negative Personality to your neighbor?  According to Napoleon Hill’s 30 Reasons for failure from Think and Grow Rich,

 “There is no hope of success for the person who repels people through a negative personality.  Success comes through the application of POWER, and power is attained through the cooperative efforts of other people.  A negative personality will not induce cooperation.” ~Napoleon Hill (2)

Some newly popular contemporary lingo I heard while serving in the US Navy.  Salty.  A Salty Sailor is reference positively in some contexts as an experienced trustworthy person.  Kelli has a social media group titled Salty Veterans and some of the humor is darkly hilarious, yet some is deeply negative and rude.  Salty these days in some social contexts, actually means crusty, angry, temperamental or difficult.  To me it’s as if the experience has become heavily saturated in the person to the point of overpowering the meal they offer.  Salt is good, but too much salt is not good for the heart.  Literally we can have too much salt in our diet, and it causes water retentions and high blood pressure.  So much so, we avoid adding more salt to some kitchen recipes because the other items already had salt added for shelf life extension.  Be salt, but not too salty!

John W. Ritenbaugh shares valuable insights in a series on the topic of The Offerings of Leviticus online and I quote:  

What the Bible Says about Salt as Purifying Agent (From Forerunner Commentary) 

Leviticus 2:13(Lev 2:13 KJV) "(13) And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt."

“Like frankincense and honey, salt and leaven also produce contrasting reactions when used.  Salt preserves from corruption, while leaven corrupts and deteriorates what it is inserted into.  Unlike frankincense and honey, the Scriptures contain a great deal about these two in their application to the meal offering.”

In 2 Chronicles 13:5 (2Ch 13:5 KJV) "(5) Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, [even] to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?"

In Psalm 89:34-37: (Psa 89:34-37 KJV) "(34) My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. (35) Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. (36) His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me. (37) It shall be established for ever as the moon, and [as] a faithful witness in heaven. Selah."

Mr. Ritenbaugh goes on to say,

 “Here, a covenant of salt suggests an agreement of enduring qualities, even forever.  Thus, a covenant of salt  is one that is very strong, though it may not always be everlasting.  Salt is understood to be the preservative, suggesting endurance.  When God makes use of this metaphor, He is urging us to be faithful despite how circumstances appear on the surface because His Word is absolutely sure.  Like Himself, His Word endures forever.

Salt was required in every sacrifice burned on the altar.  Besides its preserving factor, it also has a purifying effect on what it comes in contact with.  Ezekiel 16:4 records that newborn babies were rubbed with salt.  In addition, Elisha treated a bad water supply in Jericho with salt.  Besides purifying, then, it also signifies a new beginning.”

~John W. Ritenbaugh (3)

I agree with this Forerunner Commentary regarding Salt.  Just survey other Bible addresses and you’ll have more examples.  For now, let’s look at how the Apostle Mark describes his witness of Jesus’ instruction here. 

(Mar 9:49-50 NIV) "(49) Everyone will be salted with fire. (50) "Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves, and be at peace with each other.""

I’m reminded of the Saltwater pool in Everett, WA (Rule of thumb: 30lbs for every 1,000 gallons as needed).  And the hamburger knee at Laguna Beach, CA. Purification qualities (for more Listen to live message). 

 

In their book Becoming a Contagious Christian Bill Hybels & Mark Mittelberg describe Attractiveness of Authenticity.  They say,

"Inauthenticity among the ranks of those claiming to be Christians can become an almost insurmountable barrier to belief."

Commenting on this passage they wrote,

"Jesus knew the importance of perceptions.  That's why He gave us such clear instructions about being salt and light.  He knows that as you learn to live out these guidelines in tangible ways, people will begin to 'see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.' 

Do you see what Jesus was getting at in these verses in Mt. 5?  He was telling us that the attitudes and actions of each of His followers would either draw people toward relationship with God or push them further away.  So Jesus was pleading with His people—then and now—to live in a way that would draw people toward the Father.  Think about it; how we conduct our daily lives has implications that reach all the way into eternity." ~Becoming a Contagious Christian (4) 

If you want your evangelistic witness message to be positively protagonistic contagious as a Christian, we must hear and obey Jesus.  We must deliberately aim to develop and grow our personality to be more like him.  Just as the Lord has encouraged us with the beatitudes here, I believe he is adding Be Salt. {Read :13 again}. 

2. Light as an object (Read :14-16).  Be light, but not too bright and come out of the darkness.

Just as there is much to remark about salt, there are ions of light years to say about light!  I’ll try to spare you the nerdy dad jokes but let me say it sure is bright up here.  

Can I share one?  I’ll call it a Papa joke. Why did the light bulb break up with the ceiling fan? It felt like the fan was always blowing hot air.  

Okay, okay, just one more, I’ll be done in a flash.  What did the one light bulb say to the other during a power outage? “Let’s stay positive!”

I’d better stop before you realize my lack of brightness or Kelli knocks my lights out.

One of the worst things a counselor can do in a solemn counseling session is laugh.  Sometimes when someone shares something very intimate the way it gets expressed can appear to be very funny but laughing will cause the person trying vulnerably to open up and be brave to actually shut down and stop the progress of exchange.  I’ve experienced this from both ends as a counselee and a counselor.  Usually it’s better to pause and make sure they’re intentional about some levity or better yet ask them what they mean.  It can be hard to discern and so it’s usually best practice to not laugh.

We can all appreciate levity in hard gloomy circumstances but shared at the wrong time or using the wrong topic can do the opposite for you.  Sometimes levity during grief can cause more harm.

There really is too much to share on this topic of light.  Let me throw some salt on this section of the sermon to preserve the object of light for an entire Sermon Series or another Sunday message on another date.  For now, I’ll turn to the Apostle John & Donald C. Stamps commentary who I think can help us understand how Jesus is calling us out of darkness and into the light.

John 1:4 “In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind.” (MEV)

“THE LIGHT OF MANKIND.  “Light” (Gk “phos” [like phosphorus]) is mentioned 23 times in John’s Gospel, more than any other NT book.  Jesus’ life was the light for everyone, which means that he revealed God and his plans showed us the way back to God.  God’s truth, nature and power were shown through Christ and are made available to all people through him (Jn 8:12; 12:35-36, 46).  Through Jesus we can also become children of light [instead of children of darkness and wrath](12:36) and walk in the light (1Jn 1:7). ~Donald C. Stamps (5)

 (1Jo 1:4-10 KJV) "(4) And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. (5) This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (6) If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: (7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

'“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. '

~Matthew 5:14-16 (MSG) (6)

Be the light but not too bright.  Walk in the light and come out of the darkness.  Enlighten that which is dark but avoid becoming too smart for your own good.  In our light we can fail to recognize who the glory belongs to.  I think Paul’s message to the Romans explains this well. Rom. 1:21-25.

“Because although they knew God, they did not glorify Him or give thanks to Him as God, but became futile in their imaginations, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools. 23 They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, birds, four-footed beasts, and creeping things. 24 Therefore God gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their own bodies among themselves. 25 They turned truth of God into a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” ~Rom. 1:21-25 (MEV)

Biblically, idolatry doesn’t start with physical objects, but with futile thoughts, foolish hearts, and claims of wisdom.  While OT teachings against idolatry tended to concentrate on the worship of physical things, NT writers listed idolatry alongside sins of behavior and the heart (Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1Pet 4:3).  An idea can be an idol. ~Influence Magazine-Karl Vaters author of De-sizing the Church (7)

3. Next Week JSM | Uprightness | Torah & Prophets

Conclusion:

Introduction Identity Recap: The Kingdom of heaven has come to you, the least likely people.  To the undeserving Jesus preached “…Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near” (Mt 4:17 NIV).  To the humble belong the kingdom of heaven.  They who mourn will be comforted.  The meek will inherit the New Earth.  They who crave righteousness will be filled with righteousness.  You will get what you give, if you give mercy you will be shown mercy.  Spiritually prosperous are the pure in heart for you will see God.  Oh, how happy are the peacemakers, for you will be called children of God.  Because you carry these identity markers you will be persecuted for the LORD’s sake.  Rejoice and be happy!  Our identity in Christ Jesus empowers us to understand and become who we are called to be.  We’re being called to be salt and light for the honor and glory of God our Father.

If you see evidential fruit that doesn’t mirror salt and light, then repent.  Divinely cooperate to make changes while you have time to!

Exhortation:

Paul writing to the church in Galatia about keeping in step with the spirit. 

(Gal 5:19-21 ESV) "(19) Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, (20) idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, (21) envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God."  

Walk in the Spirit!

And to the church of Colossians, Paul wrote:  

(Col 3:5-6 ESV) "(5) Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. (6) On account of these the wrath of God is coming." 

Put on the New Self.

The Apostle Peter describes more about the flesh in 

(1Pe 4:1-5 ESV) "(1) Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for whoever has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, (2) so as to live for the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human passions but for the will of God. (3) For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. (4) With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; (5) but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead."

The crowd of witnesses will remember us.

We deserved the wrath of God yet, Jesus incarnated is evidence of the LORD’s abundant mercy. 

 

Now Paul to the church in Rome.  He wrote: 

(Rom 1:18-20 ESV) "(18) For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. (19) For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. (20) For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."

Altar Call to Action/Suggested Response:

Walk in the Spirit!  Put on the New Self.  Continue to refuse to partake in the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life for the crowd of witnesses will share what they've observed.  We are without excuse today in the end of days.  The OT is Jesus concealed the NT is Jesus revealed.  And the Lord our Savior Jesus has been revealed to all and we will have no excuse for NOT knowing Him.

Nicodemus a Pharisee and ruler of the Jews; a teacher of Israel yet lacking revelation. Under the cover of darkness approached Jesus and  acknowledged the Savior as a teacher who has come from God because of the evidence he witnessed.  Jesus describes that without becoming born again of water and of the sprit, one cannot inherit the kingdom of God.

Know God and become known by Him.  If you’re in darkness, allow your light to shine.  Let God know that you know Him.  Confess your sins to the Lord.  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

(Jhn 3:16-21 ESV) "(16) "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (17) For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (18) Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (19) And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. (20) For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. (21) But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.""

Prayer & song.  Listen to Live message

Benediction:  The Lord's Prayer

Next Week's Message in the series:

Citations & Credits:

1- Lesson from a Dog ~Pg. 244 3,000 Illustrations for Christian Service by Walter B. Knight Published by WM. B. Eerdmans 

2- Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

3-     What the Bible Says about Salt as Purifying Agent (From Forerunner Commentary) 

John W. Ritenbaugh is an author for BibleTools.org produced by Church of the Great God out of Charlotte, NC.  They also operate the Forerunner Commentary online.  

4-     Becoming a Contagious Christian pg. 56-57 by Bill Hybels & Mark Mittelberg Zondervan

5-    Fire Bible Modern English Version (MEV) Donald C. Stamps

6-    Matthew 5:14-16 (MSG) The Message Translation YouVersion Bible

7-    Influence Magazine | Karl Vaters author of De-sizing the Church

8-    Blue Letter Bible