Salt and Light

Re-read Matthew 4 from yesterday and think back over your comments.

Now look over Matthew 5:13-16

Salt and Light

 ¹³"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. ¹⁵Neither 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. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

So What?

Now take the same definitions from yesterday and see how they apply in this parable.  If we are to be his salt and light we must be Holy and set apart because just as when a circuit to a lightbulb has a bad connection the light flickers in and out; not allowing for a constant stream of light.  If we stay with one foot in the world and one devoted to walking God's path the circuit will not allow for a constant stream because Jesus is our light and if we are suppose to reflect him we have to reflect him fully, not just a little.

How are you going to reflect Jesus today to God's glory? 

Jesus as our demonstration

Matthew 4

The Temptation of Jesus

 ¹Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. ²After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread."

 ⁴Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'^{a]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[a]}"

 ⁵Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶"If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: 
   " 'He will command his angels concerning you, 
      and they will lift you up in their hands, 
   so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'^{b]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[b]}"

 ⁷Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'^{c]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[c]}"

 ⁸Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹"All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

 ¹⁰Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'^{d]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[d]}"

 ¹¹Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

So What?

Jesus was able to do this because he was in perfect union with God his father.  That does not mean that he did everything right but that he was in perfect connection and focus on his father which led him to live the life and resist the temptations he did.  Think about the words we pulled out on Wednesday night, and think of the definitions

Holy-pure-dedicated and devoted to service of God, specified and set apart

 Blameless-impossible to discredit, guiltless

Self controlled and disciplined-control of self- body, mind, emotions, soul

American Heritage disciplined-training and experience to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior

Upright-Moral excellence, respectable, just, honest

Leads to guidance and deliverance (proverbs 11)

Take each one this morning and write out how Jesus demonstrated these things during this ultimate trial and test of his connectedness to his father.

We’ve Bought the Lie

After his resurrection, Jesus sends us all out to do what he did: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (John 20:21 NRSV). And he gives us his authority to do it: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go” (Matt. 28:18–19). Why else would he have given us his authority if we weren’t supposed to use it? 

The attitude of so many Christians today is anything but fierce. We’re passive, acquiescent. We’re acting as if the battle is over, as if the wolf and the lamb are now fast friends. Good grief—we’re beating swords into plowshares as the armies of the Evil One descend upon us. We’ve bought the lie of the Religious Spirit, which says, “You don’t need to fight the Enemy. Let Jesus do that.” It’s nonsense. It’s unbiblical. It’s like a private in Vietnam saying, “My commander will do all the fighting for me; I don’t even need to fire my weapon.” We are commanded to “resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). We are told, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him” (1 Peter 5:8–9); “Fight the good fight” (1 Tim. 1:18); “Rescue those being led away to death” (Prov. 24:11). 

Seriously, just this morning a man said to me, “We don’t need to fight the Enemy. Jesus has won.” Yes, Jesus has won the victory over Satan and his kingdom. However, the battle is not over. Look at 1 Corinthians 15:24–25: “Then the end will come, when he [Jesus] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” After he has destroyed the rest of the Enemy’s works. Until then, he must reign by bringing his enemies under his feet. Jesus is still at war, and he calls us to join him. 

(Waking the Dead , 167–68)