Title: We are salt, we are light
Contents
we are salt and light
(Matthew 5:13-16)
The Sermon on the Mount is quite long. But the core of them can be said with the two words in today's text. salt and light! You are the salt of the world. You are the light of the world. Jesus defined our identity as salt and light.
The Sermon on the Mount can be summed up as the Word of God to be salt and light.
Then why did the Lord call us salt and light? Because the qualities of salt and light can best represent a Christian.
Let's look at salt first. Jesus said we are the salt of the world. I didn't tell you to be salt. You are said to be the salt of the world.
It is not the salt of the stove. It is the salt of the world.
It's a different story depending on where the salt is. If salt is in the kitchen, it is used to flavor food. But the salt of the world has more than that.
What is the difference between kitchen salt and world salt?
Salt has several benefits.
First, salt is used to flavor food. However, there are many other uses of salt. Sprinkling salt on a tennis court hardens the soil. If the washing machine has a lot of foam, sprinkle salt on it and the foam will settle. Not only that, but it also easily removes old and oily stains. If there is blood on your clothes, soak them in salt water to clean them off. Glass windows with frost can be easily cleaned with a salt bag. When frying, add a little salt to the oil beforehand to prevent the oil from splashing. That's why it's good to add salt when frying or frying vegetables or fish.
Even modern science has not fully uncovered the benefits of salt. Salt has many uses. However, the best effect of salt is to prevent it from rotting. Salt prevents spoilage.
In other words, the salt of the world is the mission to stop the corrupt and rotten things in the world. The world is rotting and Christians have no power? Then the salt loses its taste. It's useless and thrown out. It's just being trampled on by people.
Read verse 13 again.
“You are the salt of the world; if salt loses its taste, with what is it salted? <Matthew 5:13>
We Christians must be good salt. This world needs salt. The world is full of rotten stench. Sin was widespread. Sin is too deeply and broadly entrenched in the world.
Celebrities are taking nude photos of themselves these days. Hundreds of millions of dollars are being paid for models. I wanted to make some money with that picture, but it doesn't seem to be. Internet and cell phone vendors are making tens of billions of dollars by showing nude photos. It costs 300 won to see one picture. How many people do you expect to see? Some celebrity photos are said to have been accessed by 8 million people. I have dozens of photos, and even if I do a rough calculation, the profit is about 20 billion won.
Will the pornography industry subside? Where sin prevails, there is no depression. Money rolls around. Young people are being polluted by this obscene culture.
If you look into the world with a little attention, it is very serious. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because of their fornication. God sent brimstone fire from heaven and consumed the entire city. Because we crossed the road, God's judgment came.
In fact, Sodom and Gomorrah were not judged for their sins. Because there were no ten righteous people. If there were only ten righteous people in that city, God did not judge them. Because those righteous people are the salt. No matter how many sins are dealt with, if there is a salt Christian, it will not perish. Because he has the power to put an end to that iniquity.
So the Lord gives us another weapon. It is the light.
The Lord said that we are salt and light at the same time.
Look at verse 14 of the main text. “You are the light of the world; a city on a hill cannot hide it. People do not light a lamp and put it under a lamp, but put it on a lampstand, so that it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” <Matthew 5:14-16>
This light is also the light of the world. It is not a small light, but a very vast and great light. He said that a town on a mountain would not be able to hide it. How big is the light that illuminates the whole town? It is not a village under the mountain, but a light that illuminates the village above the mountain. You have to be high in the sky to light up all the towns on the mountain. It is not a small fire that lights up the house. We are the light that illuminates the world.
We are the light that brightens the dark world. Light unconditionally overcomes darkness. Darkness cannot fight the light. When the light appears, the darkness goes away unconditionally.
Light also has several effects. When God created the world, the first thing He created was light. The foundation of creation was light. So, without light, there is no world. Plants use light to assimilate carbon. It takes its form from the light. Light gives energy to sustain all life on Earth.
It was Einstein who studied this light and gave the benefits of civilization to mankind. Einstein discovered that light has several benefits. Discovered the principle of relativity in light. Global Positioning System (GPS), which finds the way of a car, was created based on this principle of relativity. A CD player that listens to music also uses a laser. This is the result of Einstein's work on stimulated emission of light. Barcodes are read with this laser. We also do long-distance surveys. It is used as a medical instrument. A drunken control machine was created by discovering that Einstein's light was a particle.
It can also convert light into electrical energy. It can be said that modern civilization was achieved using this light.
But in today's text, Jesus called us the light. Among the various effects of light, this light emphasizes the function of preventing decay like salt. Light has bactericidal power. Light decomposes rotting garbage. Dark places without light rot. Light prevents mold and moss from growing.
Compare the day and night streets of the world. At night when there is no light, sinners come out and play. A tavern opens, eats and drinks sin. All kinds of crimes happen mainly at night.
Jesus answered, Isn't it twelve o'clock in the daytime? When a man walks during the day, he does not stumble because he sees the light of this world; but when he walks at night, he stumbles because the light is not in him. <John 11:9-10>
Light reveals darkness. Shining a light on a world full of sin reveals that sin. We must give this light because we are light. We must bring out the light and expose our sins to shame.
See today's text. When the lamp is lit, it must be placed on the lampstand. Don't put the lamp under the horse. A word means a word. Where's the one who turns on the lights and covers them with daffodils? Then the light won't come out. The light goes out altogether. So, put the lamp on a high place. That way the whole house is clean.
When we shine, we do good deeds.
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” <Matthew 5:16>
There are two ways to light it.
One is to reflect light. It cannot emit light on its own, but receives and reflects light from others. It seems to shine though. An example is the moon. The moon receives sunlight and illuminates the earth. When the full moon rises, the road at night is also bright. But its light is terribly weak compared to the sun. Even if it is a full moon, if it is cloudy, it cannot penetrate the cloud.
Another is self-illumination. This is called a luminous body. A luminous body emits light by itself, so it can always emit light. The Lord did not call us reflectors of light. We are self-luminous luminaries.
To become a luminous body, you must burn yourself. I burn myself to light a candle. Lamps burn oil to give light.
If we are to be the light of the world, we must be good people in this world. We must be an example to the world. Then people will see us and glorify God.
Those who believe in Jesus may rather be pointed at by the world. There are many things we cannot do together just because everyone is doing that. The world is going wrong, but there are many things we shouldn't be doing.
We are salt. It's not 'become salt', it's already salt. we are the light It doesn't have to be a light, it is already a light.
We must become salt and light to heal the filthy and rotten things of the world. We must keep the world from getting sick.
First, we are the salt and light of the home. Home is a place to rest. When a family becomes ill, the family cannot rest. When reconciliation is broken, rest in the family disappears.
When Jesus spoke of salt, he emphasized reconciliation.
“Salt is good, but if salt loses its taste, with what can it be salted? Put salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.” <Mark 9:50>
If we are salt, we should be good people. In order for our family to be harmonious, we need to know how to cook in our home. How can I reconcile my family? How can I make laughter bloom in my house? Even if there is only one member of the family who believes in Jesus, it can be a harmonious family.
Second, we are the salt and light of society. The society we live in is deeply ill. I don't know where to start with my hands. But let's not be disappointed. There are 10 million Christians in this society. Corruption is rampant, and lawlessness abounds. So we have a lot of work to do.
We are salt and light, but what if we stand still? For salt to taste, it must first be melted. You have to burn yourself to shine. You cannot become salt and light without my sacrifice.
Who breaks the order in the society we live together? You have to fight it. You have to point out the error. We need to enlighten society.
Third, we are the salt and light of nature. Natural ecosystems have been seriously destroyed in recent decades. Wild animals are becoming extinct. We must preserve and protect nature.
God created the heavens and the earth and gave people to protect and manage them. It is the Christian mission to protect nature. We need to be conscious to protect nature. Reduce and separate waste. Do not throw anything into the sewer. Do not use clothing or objects made from the skins of endangered animals. There are animal skins that are fine, like domesticated cowhide, but not.
Don't reveal too much about the medicines or foods that are good for your body. Especially in the world of Korean people. Shame on the best. We must take the lead in protecting the water, air, and land that God has given us.
So let's we are salt we are the light