The Aroma of Christ
Sermon on the Mount II
Pastor Gary J. Tolbert
March 18, 06
Intro: We are looking at the Sermon on the Mount. Last week we looked at the Beatitudes. Allow me to read the selected rendition of them just as a way of review. (read)
Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 5:13-16, Christians are salt and light.
Ill. There is an ancient legend first told by Christians living in the catacombs under the streets of Rome which picture the day when Jesus went back to glory after finishing his work on earth. The angel Gabriel meets Jesus in heaven and welcomes him home… “You won't fail.” Here are the Christians of Rome, dug into the earth like gophers, tunneling out of sight because of the terrors of Nero above. They're nothing in that world. They're poor and despised and insignificant. Yet they know the promise of Jesus: “You're my people, and you won't fail because I will be with you till the end of the age.”
That is what Christ is telling us in these verses. You are the saltof the earth. You are the light of the earth. You are my witnesses.
Jesus’ proclamation of a Christians influence through the salt and light metaphors is closely related to his description of the Christians charter called the Beatitudes just previous to this. After all, a Christian’s influence depends on his or her character. The salt must be salty to be effective, and the light must be shining.
I. Salty people
Salt has many functions. In society without refrigeration, it is used as a preservative. It is rubbed into meat to prevent decay. Ill. Back when I was involved in taxidermy I used a chemical mixture including salt in preserving a hide that was then sewn around an artificial body so that the animal looked lifelike and natural. Salt of course is used in flavoring. Many foods taste better when salt is added. But in order to achieve its purpose, salt must penetrate food. Salt left a fraction of an inch away from food can neither preserve nor flavor.
Christians as salt: Jesus describes Christians as the salt of the earth.Matthew 5:13, You are the salt. Christians function as salt by mingling with the surrounding culture. Only in this way can they carry out their God-given role of preserving and flavoring society. Although we may not realize it, our daily lives moderate the people and society around us as we live out the Beatitudes. Our daily lives “flavor” the society. Our daily lives are an aroma of Christ. Through little kindnesses we show, humility we demonstrate and so on. Even proud and hardened people often find it difficult not to respect true, compassionate Christians, even though they may not choose to join them.
One effect of our influence is to slow down the personal and social degeneracy in our society. If it had not been for Christian influence things would be much worse today than they are. If we are Christians, we will mix with the world and that makes the world a better place. Colossians 4: 5, 6, Season everything with salt.
Losing saltiness? Matthew 5:13, Losing saltiness? Is it possible for salt to become unsalty? Not really. Sodium chloride is one of the most stable compounds in the universe. It doesn't change easily. Salt will not to melt until heated to 1500°. Yet it easily dissolves in water. Ill. We have visited the Dead Sea in Palestine. We got in and swam around. It is almost impossible to make yourself sink. The water is about 8% salt. It is so dense everyone floats as if you were lying on a raft. You don't want to get in your eyes, though.
In Jesus’ day this is where people got most of their salt. It is below sea level, the lowest land area in the world. The waters of the Sea of Galilee flow into the Jordan River and run down to the bottom of the earth. Once they get their, it's the end of the line. There's no place to go. The hot desert sun evaporates the water, and leaves behind a chunky white powder made up of a combination of salts and minerals. The people of Palestine scooped it up to use in trade and cooking. But the salt is mixed with minerals. It's not pure sodium chloride. It is possible, under certain circumstances, with a little dampness in the air, for the salts to be dissolved first and leached away.
You may not notice but what you have left looks the same, yet the taste is gone and people throw it out. There may be a little salt left, but it isn't enough to make a difference so the whole batch is chucked out into the street. For all intents and purposes, the people think the salt has lost its taste and only good to be thrown out.
We have no choice about whether we will be salt, but we can choose not to function well as salt. We can be so mixed with this world that people cannot taste or smell Jesus in us. Jesus describes such people as having lost their saltiness. In effect, he is saying that they have lost their Christianity.
A single grain of salt may make a slight difference, but because it is so hidden by the things of this world for all intents and purposes it is not there. It takes the concentration of a cluster of them to make a real impact.
Covenant of salt: Since salt was so indestructible it was used to confirm agreements, to seal treaties and establish covenants. If you ate salt with someone, you became like blood relatives. You had a stake in each other's lives. You were part of the same family. The preserving nature of salt symbolizes a binding alliance. Salt was always added to the sacrifices made to the Lord.
King Abijah, in the Old Testament, reminds the people that they made a 2 Chronicles 13:5, Covenant of salt with King David, and therefore they can't break it. In Arabic the word for salt is the same as the word for “treaty”. Also, in Persia, the word for “traitor” means “someone who is faithless to salt.” Ill. Tony Campolo tells the story of a man walking in a county fair who sees a little girl. She is carrying a big fluff of cotton can be on as Dick, almost as large as her. He said to her, “How can a little girl like you eat all that cotton candy?”
“Well,” she said to him, “I'm really much bigger on the inside than I am on the outside.”
That's what Jesus is saying here. You are the salt of the earth. Not because of your great power. Not because of your position in government. Not because you are so smart or so strong or so rich or so gifted. It's because you belong to Jesus. On the outside you may seem to be nothing, but on the inside you're as big as the kingdom and the power and the glory of your God. You can make a difference.
II. Light up a life
Matthew 5:14-16, You are the light. Once again, Jesus implies that Christians have no choice about being light. They are either light, or they are not Christians. They have the same function as Christ, who in another connection refers to himself as John 8:12, The light of the world. Christians are to be like Jesus letting their good works shine forth to their neighbors. Yet they don’t do it for their own glory, but that people might praise their Father in heaven.
You are the light of the earth. you don’t hide off in a corner. You don’t hug yourself within the walls of your pretty little home. You don’t keep off by yourself, hoping you are protected from those evil people out there.
You are the light of the earth. It’s not enough to be anti-immorality; you have to be willing to confront society, turning its thoughts towards love and laughter and life. It’s not enough to protect your own interests, you have to speak out for the welfare of the poor and disabled and the oppressed.
At the same time, it is not enough to be socially active, socially responsible and socially concerned. Turn people's thoughts towards God. No mind is truly enlightened until it is flooded with the glory of heaven. Nobody is truly healed until he is touched by the power of the creator. No person is truly set free until there is freedom of the spirit of Christ. God has placed us here as symbols of his continuing relationship with the world. We are the extension of his personality in society.
John 3:19-21, Men like darkness. Ill. Nominal Christianity. Maybe we all have trouble adjusting to light from God.
The example of Christ is not to hide from society but to establish a beachhead of love among society. We must penetrate the world around us, relating, caring, helping, listening and touching. We must build meaningful relationships with our neighbors. By focusing on common interests, we can establish bridges of trust. In time the message of salvation in Christ will cross from one heart to the other. This is the foundation of effective evangelism: establishing a Christian presence with friends and neighbors.
One way to this is through what is called Ill. Faith Link. There are many ways that people in this congregation are involved in the community. We have members who work very closely with Mainstay, Hendersonville rescue mission, free medical and dental clinics, Interfaith ministries, and then there is also Faith Link. The Church Board has just voted that we can be involved in this Ministry. Faith Link is a collaborative effort of Henderson County Department of Social Services, Interfaith Ministry and the members of faith communities. This is a program that provides individualized social and emotional support and advocacy for low income families…. It is a mentoring program. We mentor people who are not succeeding in life. This is not about money. It is about sharing yourself with people who need help.
Concl: In summary, Jesus has given two illustrations to help us understand the Christians influence:
1- Salt works and expends itself in secret. One thinks of the quiet influence of the Christian upon his environment, his family, his associates, which happens just by being what he is, by being there in prayer and in love. Salt does not shout, the recipient must reach out and take it as he who recognizes its value and gathers it to himself. It is quiet. It is effective. It is a silent a powerful witness.
2- Light on the other hand, can be seen; it works openly and visibly and it shines out. It infiltrates even where it is not invited. It doesn't need to be requested, when it is turned on, it is there for all to see. Yet even then if light is too bright it can blind people. People cover their eyes, they turn away and they turn their backs to it.
This is about our witness. Through the influence of the Holy Spirit our witness can be effective, sometimes silent, sometimes aggressive but always effective. T im Hansel, who wrote a book about dancing with Jesus, says, “The great tragedy of today's convenient world is that you can live a trivial life and get away with it. Let's be honest: Trivial Christian life ought to be an Oxymoron.”
Ill. Tour-bus Christians. “Lord, I want to get into the fray. I want to play a role in the biggest adventure story of all time. Use me to make a difference. Use me to solve someone's problem. Use me to soothe someone's pain. Use me to answer someone's prayer. Use me to feed someone who's hungry. Use me to rescue a child. Use me to bring someone to you. Use me to ease someone's loneliness. Use me to raise a godly family. Use me to deepen someone's faith. Use me to cheer someone on. Use me to help a broken person understand that he's precious in Your sight. Use me to touch lives in your name.
I don't want to just observe cathedrals from my tour bus window; I want to roll up my sleeves and build one. Lord, use me to build a living cathedral dedicated to your glory.”
The Aroma of Christ
Sermon on the Mount II
possible screen information
Matthew 5:13-16, Christians are salt and light
Matthew 5:13, You are the salt
Colossians 4:5,6, Season everything with salt
Matthew 5:13, Losing saltiness?
2 Chronicles 13:5, Covenant of salt
Matthew 5:14-16, You are the light
John 8:12, The light of the world
John 3:19-21, Men like darkness
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