The Sermon on the Mount: Salt and Light

In this fourth in the series on the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Shane looks at what Jesus says about salt and light. Click here for the recording of this 2/2/25 Service, and you can fast-forward to 34:18 to get to the start of the sermon.

Our text comes from Matthew Chapter 5.13-14

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by people.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; 15 nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Your light must shine before people in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Introduction…

• Jesus continues his teaching, with a very specific directive…

• “You are the salt of the earth”

• “You are the light of the world”

• Not “you might be,” nor “you could be,” nor “you will be…” but…

• “You are” present tense

• Again, He was preparing a large crowd of people to be His disciples

• By extension, if we hold a high view of Scripture, He is doing the same to us, today

• That said, just what, exactly, does He say we are?

• Salt, halas- salt, sometimes figuratively of wit, wisdom and grace in speech

• Earth, ge- the planet, soil, globe, its occupants

• To become tasteless, moraino- to become saltless, tasteless, inert, insipid, foolish

• It is no longer good, ischuo- to be strong, powerful, able

• For anything or anyone

• But to be trampled underfoot by people- something to walk on, like mulch, sawdust, gravel or cinders

How does salt become tasteless?

• According to AI (yes, it is here)…3 ways

  • Dilution in water

  • Contamination by foreign chemicals or compounds

  • Exposure to electricity- thus changing its chemical composition

The lack of saltiness in a disciple

• The dilution of anything that overtakes the presence of Christ in your life- if you claim to be a biblical Christian, primary identity in anything other than Jesus is idolatry

• The contamination of sin- “If I regard iniquity…” Ps 66.18

• The shock of satanic work in your life that causes you to turn away from the Cross- Samson, Saul, Judas, Alexander, Hymenaeus, Philetus, Diotrephes…did they every really know Him?

• Who decides if we turn away?

V14, light

• Light, fos- light, daylight, firelight

• World, kosmos- world, earth, world system, whole universe

• There is no way to hide a city placed on a hill

• By analogy, people do not light a lamp and then cover it up; it is lifted to a place of prominence to cast itself in the house; light, by its very nature, is meant to illuminate

• We don’t have the light, we are the light; thus, we are to shine before people (anthropos- humanity); John says we walk in it, and it is the basis of our fellowship with one another, 1 Jn 1.7

• In such a way, that they see our good works (kalos ergon) and magnify (doxazo- glorify) our Heavenly Father, and not ourselves

Therapeutic Moralistic Deism
- R. Albert Mohler, SBTS, Louisville, KY

• “there is a God who created and ordered the world” - deism

• “He generally wants you to be good, nice, and fair” - moralistic

• “He generally wants you to be happy and feel good about yourself” - therapeutic

• This is where much of the American Church is today

• There is far more to living The Christ life than this

Applying this passage to our life

• You and I decide every day if we will retain the Christ-like quality of salt in our lives, or if we give in to

  • dilution,

  • pollution, or

  • the shock of Satan

• You are solely responsible for the keeping of your Christian character

• The dark or “silent” witness is largely a myth, foisted on people who are too afraid to live for Christ in a secular world- ”if you deny me before men…” Mt 10.33

• Thus, we will be held accountable for what we have done with His name in the marketplace of life and thought