Matthew 5:13-16
In God’s plan, his people…
A. Preserve the world
B. And bear both a subtle and a sudden witness to the world
Love your neighbor, so . . .
1. Work for the common good.
2. Act like Jesus.
3. Tell your neighbor about the true light (John 1:9).
4. Rehearse the implications for our identity:
A. Usefulness.
We would not want to lose the special usefulness of Christian salt. If you want to be useful, God will do it.
B. Hope.
C. Gospel
We are called light because Jesus is called light. John 1:3-8; 3:16-21
Christian energy to do what’s right comes on the basis of our identity in Christ not on the basis of a competition to achieve that identity.
5. Show your good works at an angle that reveals Christ.
6. We must have inner motivation to do good works and turn attention towards God!
7. To be both salt and light requires trusting the king.
Providence is the power by which God orders all things according to his good and glorious plan. We don’t have the ability to see all the ways in which our salt preserves and our light saves:
Jesus calls you useful. He calls you salt and light.
