Reveal the Christ

Matthew 5:13-15 “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 by men. 14 You are the light of the world. A city 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.”
 
SALT and light are keys to life. Salt may not seem as important now as it did in Jesus’ time, but it is. Salt then was necessary to preserve food. It was currency for services done, and Roman soldiers sometimes received salt as part of their pay. But the fact is salt sustains life itself. Too little salt will cause a number of problems in the body - even death - just as too much can. Balanced salt intake leads to balanced body chemistry.
   Jesus teaches that his followers are necessary for the world’s life. The world cannot be sustained without the gospel. We easily see that the absence of God’s Word causes great tribulation throughout cultures, countries and the world. That’s why Jesus calls – commands – his people to be salt of the earth to transform turmoil to peace. He urges us to be obedient disciples, feeding the world with soul-transforming truth. The gospel is the right way of life to bring health to a world.
   The remedy requires action, doesn’t it? If the salt loses its saltiness, it is no good. If the gospel is weakened and diluted with worldly teachings, or if the Word of God sits in our minds unused, people will miss the fullness of God’s good news. The Spirit has made you to be God’s salt. Sprinkle the world with Him.
   Light, too, is a critical for life. It is the first element God brought into his universe: Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:2-3) This was the presence of God come into his creation. He would form the sun and the moon to be lights to guide the days and night. Light marks time. Without light nothing exists.
   But sin has dimmed the light in our lives. God has come in the flesh to re-ignite his perfect Light of the World: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) His essence is light, and so the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Matthew 4:16)
   It is a remarkable gift to know, “You are the light of the world.” Think of it! You become the world’s light, too, when Jesus’ light gives new life to you. The Christian life is the Christ-like life to impact the world.
   Salt and light are life in God’s creation. We cannot be salt and light by sitting on a shelf or living under a bushel. Too many people spend their time studying the Bible but too little time doing the Bible. The world’s Creator requires we live in his world demonstrating the power of his Word. He is telling us who we must be.