This past Tuesday, I taught again at the Students for Christ meeting. This month (and maybe during June as well) we are going through the Sermon on the Mount. Our theme verse for the month is James 1:22 "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."
The first week of May, Kurtis taught about the Beatitudes. So this past Tuesday, I taught about believers being salt and light.
Here are the notes from my lesson. There was some great discussion and input from everyone. At one point during my lesson, one girl interjected, "I have never understood this passage! Thank you for helping me see what this means!"
A couple of times someone would ask a question, which they would then see the answer to after we went to another scripture. I love seeing how God shows Himself to us and teaches us so much through His word!
At the end of the lesson, one of the students had the idea that we talk about ideas of how we can be "salty" and "illuminating" in our everyday lives.
Praise the Lord for a great time of study, revelation, and growth in Him!
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Salt & Light
Have someone read Matthew 5:13-16
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven."
I learned a lot about salt while researching for the lesson! J
Numerous places in the old testament, it says salt was never to be lacking from any meat offering…and in Lev. 2:13 we see that grain offerings were to be seasoned with salt.
Salt covenant in Numbers 18:19 A continuous and incorruptible covenant. Also mentioned in 2 Chronicles 13:5 Says the LORD gave the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt. An everlasting covenant.
Thinking about why He used salt here? Why not some other substance?
What does salt do? What is it used for?
It preserves…keeps things from spoiling and rotting.
It removes toxins…think of all the body treatments, salt scrubs, etc…So it purifies
It enhances the flavor/taste of food… for something you’re eating, you just know if it’s missing salt.
It melts ice.
It makes you thirsty.
And on and on……
I found an entire page of “medical uses” and home remedies for salt on the internet.
Salt is very good for lots of things and quite useful.
Essentially, salt changes things…makes things different in some way.
BUT, if salt loses its flavor and its “saltiness”, it is basically good for nothing…it has no purpose, no usefulness.
If Christians aren’t different from the world…if we’re not changing the world around us, what is our purpose? What good are we here?
Have someone read Mark 9:49-50
“For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
We are to have salt in ourselves—to have the gospel and knowledge of Christ in us, to be changed by the Holy Spirit, to have the toxins removed from our lives, to always be thirsting for more of Jesus…so then we can be the salt of the earth. As the salt of the earth, we are to change/affect the world, help to remove the toxins from it, make others thirsty for Jesus, spread the gospel…
Mark 9:50, says to have salt in yourself. Just as God commanded the Israelites to only offer sacrifices with salt ‘in them’ or sprinkled on them, we are to be “living sacrifices” to God, with salt in us.
Have someone read Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Salt is a “seasoning”. Colossians 4:6 tells us one of the ways we are to be seasoned.
Have someone read Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
Just as we add salt to our food to enhance the flavor and make it more enjoyable to eat, the words we say and add to conversation with others should be full of grace, enhancing the conversation and making it more wholesome. Like salt, our words should help to preserve others from corruption/sin. Our speech should be different from the world. Lots of things we eat aren’t naturally full of salt…we have to add it. The world isn’t naturally full of grace. Grace is sometimes pretty hard. But through us accepting God’s offer of grace and salvation and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can be filled with the grace of God so we can give it to others.
It’s interesting to me how Jesus says in Mark 9:50, right after “have salt in yourselves” to have peace with one another. We are to change the world, but we’re not necessarily supposed to try to change or attack our fellow believers. Yes, if a fellow Christian sins against you, Matthew 18:15-17 tells you how to handle it…go to him and show him his fault, etc. If we see a brother or sister in sin, we are to try to turn them back to the way of Christ.
That being said, we are to have peace with one another. This is mentioned over and over in the Bible.
A few examples:
Have someone read: Romans 14:19 Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
Ephesians 4:3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
Colossians 3:15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 5:13 ...Be at peace among yourselves.
Titus 3 Graces of the Heirs of Grace
1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless
Have someone read: Galatians 5:15 But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!
Nothing is accomplished by Christians “biting and devouring” one another.
I learned that salt, which is useful for so many things, can also be very destructive. It can actually destroy fruitfulness and growth.
In Deut. 29, God tells the Israelites that because of their wickedness and because they worshiped other gods and abandoned the covenant of the LORD that He made with them when He brought them out of Egypt, He would make their land a burning waste of salt and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on that land.
Psalm 107:34 says He would turn a fruitful land into a “salt waste” because of the wickedness of those who lived there.
Word for “barrenness” in Hebrew means “saltiness”. A commentary I read said this word was used to denote a barren soil, because where salt abounds, the soil is barren.
We’ve been talking about different ways to be “salty” in a good way! J Even as salt can be very useful, profitable, and has great purposes so can a Christian who is full of grace and allows themselves to be shaped and formed into the likeness of Christ. But a “Christian” (who is supposed to be the salt of the earth) who goes around acting and talking like the world, NOT showing love, kindness, grace, forgiveness, who constantly is lying/grumbling/complaining/manipulating, arguing with or gossiping about other Christians, etc… this person can be very destructive. This has the potential to destroy other Christians and non-believers who see this person’s witness.
A “Christian” who doesn’t act anything like Christ is salt without saltiness.
As Matthew 5:13 says, this person (grain of salt of the earth) has become good for nothing. And if this “Christian” has an abundance of the world in their life, it destroys their fruitfulness and growth, just as an abundance of salt in the soil makes it barren and unfruitful.
At the beginning of all Paul’s letters and even at the end of most of them, he says grace and peace to who he was writing to…he prayed for other believers to have the grace and peace of Christ. The Bible shows us that grace, peace, love, thankfulness, among other things of course, are to be trademarks of Christians. We’re supposed to be different.
Salt—lots of tiny grains…needs to be scattered to be effective. Like the disciples were, and like we are. Wherever we live, work, go to school or church, etc…that we show our “saltiness” J
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LIGHT
WHAT IS LIGHT? WHAT DOES LIGHT DO?
Something that makes vision possible
Something that informs or envisions
Helps us recognize things
Dispels the darkness
Helps things grow
Helps us know where we’re going/to find something
The Bible says A LOT about light
Jesus says we are the light of the world (Mt. 5:14).
Jesus says He is the light of the world. (John 8:12)
If we follow Him, we have the light of life (John 8:12)
Darkness cannot overcome the light of Jesus (John 1:5).
Jesus is a light to the Gentiles to bring them revelation and salvation…and He is the glory of Israel (Luke 2:32, Isaiah 49:6).
Jesus- “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” (John 9:5).
While Jesus was on the earth, they saw Him (the light). After He was gone, people saw His disciples/followers (the light).
John 12:44-46
Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."
All of this points to and glorifies the Father.
Matthew 5:16 says our light is supposed to shine before men, that they see our good works and glorify, NOT us, but our Father in heaven.
Other people should not only hear our good words, but see our good works.
Have someone read: John 15:8 Jesus says, “by this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
We see in John 12:27-28, even Jesus, when He was nearing the time of His death said, “Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour?’ But for this purpose I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”
Everything about our lives and what we do with them, our Christianity, our fruitfulness—it’s about the Father’s glory.
Let it be seen that we are authentic Christians, which results in others coming to know and follow Christ and our Father being glorified.
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Afterwards, we came up with ways to be “salty” and “illuminating” in our everyday lives!
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