Lesson 13: Light of the World

The Gospel
of Matthew

chapter 5

Light of the World

You are the Salt of the Earth…Let Your Light so shine
before men. Matthew 5: 13-16.

As we step away from the beatitudes list, Jesus begins His unpacking of these attitudes and their practical application as well as outcomes. The Lord’s sermon is like a surgical laser which slices through to the inner core of our being. True Christianity is an extension of the state of our hearts.

You are the salt of the earth…the qualities of this substance exemplify the Lord’s disciple; white, sharp taste, common, transforms food, preserves, disappears within the host, and multipurpose. The believer should be pure, have distinctive qualities, readily available to the common man and be a transformer of any environment. Christians should preserve their neighbourhoods and family from degeneration and submerge within the culture like Jesus.

Many teachings within sections of the church teach principles of Babylon rather those of Zion.
They advocate that Christians should strive to be successful (at any cost), push for the top and riches. These are worthwhile aims as long as they are tempered by obedience and submission to the Will of God.

…but if the salt loses its flavour…? We as believers should be setting the examples of integrity, discipline, kindness and generosity to a world that has lost its ethics and values. When the street ‘bobby’ was taken off the streets in England, many inner city neighbourhoods descended into vicious circles of petty crime and drug strongholds. The presence of patrol teams acted as a deterrent to gangs and pimps. The same principle is applicable to Christians. Our presence in society acts as a preservative against evil forces and bad behaviour.

You are the Light of the World… the qualities of light are different from those of salt even though the inference may be the same. Light stands separate from darkness and the two cannot mix. Unlike salt, light doesn’t become immersed within what it affects. Our love actions as Christians can equate to light which stands out as a witness to our gospel. Jesus said to preach the good news to the whole world. We are to spread the light of the gospel into our dark towns, cities and neighbourhoods.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16. This is a major challenge from our Lord. He is urging us to TURN ON THE LIGHT through our good works which should be noticeable by people. This will cause them to automatically acknowledge God.

Question: What practical things are you doing as a Christian that is causing people to believe that there is a God in Heaven?