Salt and Light (3 of 12)
Series: Sermon on the Mount
Will McGee
Matthew 5:13-16
''You are'' - second person plural... If Jesus were in New Jersey, he would've said, ''Youse guys'' or if he was in the south, ''Ya'll.''
Jesus is talking to his disciples. As a group. What we now know as ''the church.''
Remember, these is not a strong and the powerful group. These are fishermen, these are the sick, the poor... All under the oppressive boot of the Roman Empire. These are nobodies.
Beatitudes - They are poor, they are mourning, they are meek, they are oppressed... But Jesus calls them blessed.
Jesus is lifting these people up... He blesses them... Speaks approval over them... Now he Empowers them... ''You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.'' Don't miss just how gracious of a statement this is.
Jesus does not say... ''Become salt and light.'' He doesn't say, ''You will one day be salt and light.'' But ''you are...''
When you read through the Bible... God uses all throughout history, some of the most unimpressive... Unassuming... Unexpecting people to accomplish his purposes in the world. Whether it is Moses, Abraham, David, Esther, Leah, Isaiah, etc. They may not look like much, but God sees something in them, that they do not see in themselves... And he calls them to something greater.
That is what Jesus is doing here... He is saying to these disciples... ''You may feel like just a fisherman... You may feel like just a slave under Roman oppression... You may feel like you are just some poor nobody...'' But in the kingdom of God...
It's as if Jesus says... ''You have heard it said, that you are a loser... But I say to you, you are the Salt of the Earth. You are the Light of the World.''
This is the story of the Christian life... God makes a pronouncement over you, before you ever do anything to prove your worth... And the Xian life is then a journey in becoming who God has already declared you to be. Christ ...
Series: Sermon on the Mount
Will McGee
Matthew 5:13-16
''You are'' - second person plural... If Jesus were in New Jersey, he would've said, ''Youse guys'' or if he was in the south, ''Ya'll.''
Jesus is talking to his disciples. As a group. What we now know as ''the church.''
Remember, these is not a strong and the powerful group. These are fishermen, these are the sick, the poor... All under the oppressive boot of the Roman Empire. These are nobodies.
Beatitudes - They are poor, they are mourning, they are meek, they are oppressed... But Jesus calls them blessed.
Jesus is lifting these people up... He blesses them... Speaks approval over them... Now he Empowers them... ''You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world.'' Don't miss just how gracious of a statement this is.
Jesus does not say... ''Become salt and light.'' He doesn't say, ''You will one day be salt and light.'' But ''you are...''
When you read through the Bible... God uses all throughout history, some of the most unimpressive... Unassuming... Unexpecting people to accomplish his purposes in the world. Whether it is Moses, Abraham, David, Esther, Leah, Isaiah, etc. They may not look like much, but God sees something in them, that they do not see in themselves... And he calls them to something greater.
That is what Jesus is doing here... He is saying to these disciples... ''You may feel like just a fisherman... You may feel like just a slave under Roman oppression... You may feel like you are just some poor nobody...'' But in the kingdom of God...
It's as if Jesus says... ''You have heard it said, that you are a loser... But I say to you, you are the Salt of the Earth. You are the Light of the World.''
This is the story of the Christian life... God makes a pronouncement over you, before you ever do anything to prove your worth... And the Xian life is then a journey in becoming who God has already declared you to be. Christ ...
There are 19484 characters in the full content. This excerpt only shows a 2000 character sample of the full content.
Price: $5.99 or 1 credit
