Dear Christian friends:

Today we continue our hearing and consideration of Jesus' famous Sermon on the Mount. In today's Gospel Lesson which immediately follows His comforting Beatitudes, which we heard and considered last Sunday, Jesus impresses upon His disciples and us the crucial importance of our mission here in this sinful world.

First God blesses us and then through us He blesses the world. Last Sunday our topic was, "Blessed Are The Believers." Today it is:

Jesus says in our text that we bless the world, firstly, by being "the salt of the earth and, secondly by being "the light of the world."

Jesus said to His disciples, "You are the salt of the earth." By the word "salt" Jesus points out what our mission and ministry is to be.

Salt is used in the kitchen to season meat and other foods so that they keep their taste, stay fresh, and do not rot. This was especially true before we had refrigerators and freezers. So Jesus says to us, "You are also salt", not the kind that belongs in the kitchen, but the kind for salting this sinful world. This is truly a splendid work and a great honor, that God calls us to be His salt and tells us to salt everything on earth.

But for this great work we must be ready as He has already taught us in the Beatitudes, to be poor in spirit, mourning, thirsty for right, meek, and willing to suffer persecution, shame, and slander. Without this preparation we will never be the kind of preacher or church member who knows how to salt, but will only be a salt without a bite, and useless.

It is a hard job to be a pastor or a church member and carry out this salting work, yes, it is impossible one, judging according to our own strength. Because the world resists this salting, and we are intimidated by its resistance. But we must be people who do it boldly and willingly for the sake of God and our Savior Jesus who was willing to suffer and die for us. Empowered by His Spirit we can endure the troubles and persecution as we remember His words: "You are the salt of the earth."

Now, what exactly is this salting process? When Jesus says to us, "You are the salt of the earth." He is implying that the earth is unsavory, rotten and corrupt before God and is in need of this salting. Jesus is telling us to stand up and tell the world how rotten it is and what it needs to do to be saved.

He wants us to condemn the sanctity, wisdom, and worship which the whole world has thought up for itself apart from God's Word and without trusting in Christ alone. Martin Luther says, "This is a harsh proclamation. It makes us disagreeable to the world, and it earns for us the enmity of men and a punch in the teeth." As you, no doubt have heard, its not politically correct to condemn another church's doctrines or practices.

The world could tolerate it if we proclaimed Christ and all the teachings of the Bible correctly, and did not point out it's false teachings and name names and get specific. In other words if we stay positive and don't get negative they will leave us alone. If we just proclaim the thesis and not the antithesis there will be no flack. But Jesus wants us to rub the salt into the wound.

We are to tell the truth and then show how it condemns the untruth. In that way the truth is exposed. A doctor has to use some strong medicines and chemicals to cure cancer. False doctrine is like a cancer. It must be diagnosed and treated. And those who hear the truth along side of the untruth will have a chance to believe and be saved.

So it is a mistake when some church members maintain that it is enough for the pastor to simply preach the Gospel, but not touch on the false religions and the sinful living since this causes unrest and discord. That is why Jesus here is exhorting and warning us to be diligent and not neglect the salting. (verse 13) He says, "If the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men."

So what Jesus is saying here is that if we don't do this salting kind of preaching and witnessing we have become useless preachers and useless church members. I'm afraid that is what is happening to some of our churches. We have a form or show of Godliness, but not the power thereof. We need to wake up and shape up, and be what our Lord would have us be, "the salt of the earth."

By being the, "salt of the earth" we bless and purify this sinful world. We also bless the world by being its light.

Jesus says in out text, "You are the light of the world." By this word "light" Jesus points out another facet of our mission and ministry here in the world. Light is so common and abundant in our natural world that we take it for granted and do not really appreciate it. However, it is, no doubt, God's greatest natural blessing. Without light there could be no life at all.

Of course Jesus is not here talking about the sun or other natural light, but He is talking about the Gospel, about Himself, for He said that He, Himself was "the light of the world." (John 8:12) Now since His Gospel light has risen upon us and we have received it by faith we are to let Jesus shine into the dark world of sinners through our ministry.

This, like the salt ministry, is a superb honor. All the people in the world presidents, politicians, wise men, learned men, holy men have to sit down while we stand up and speak the Gospel which accuses and condemns their wisdom and sanctity as utter darkness and death and presents the cross and blood of Jesus shed for the sins of the world as light and life eternal.

Obviously, we preachers and church members don't think this is such a great honor and ministry. If we did, we'd be doing a much better job of it. Jesus is aware of our aversions and fears in this ministry so He adds this kick in the pants: "A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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." (verses 14-15) Jesus has made us a "lamp on a stand," and He expects us to "arise, and shine!" Read Isaiah 60:1-3, "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."

Finally, Jesus adds another practical and excellent way that we let His Gospel light shine. He says, "In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (verse 16) Besides letting the Gospel light shine through preaching and witnessing, we are to let it shine by our good deeds, Jesus says. Where people are brash and assertive, we are to be meek, gentle, patient and kind. Where people don't care about doing what's honest and right, where they care only about the bottom line, we are to be hungry and thirsty for righteousness. Where people are full of hate and seeking vengeance, we are to be merciful and ready to forgive. Where people don't know right from wrong, we with our pure hearts are to help them see the purity of God's commandments. Where there is quarreling and fighting we are to be peacemakers.

And we are to do these good deeds, not for our own praise and glory, but for the "praise of our Father in heaven," Jesus says. If we are the kind of people that Jesus has taught us to be, the people will start asking us how we can be so good. Then we can tell them about the grace and mercy of our heavenly Father and about His dear Son Jesus Christ our Savior and their Savior.

John Chrysostom, one of the early church fathers once said; "There would be no more heathen if Christians took care to be what they ought to be."

Of course, our problem is that we often forget, or out of fear, we fail to be the children of the heavenly Father and act more like the children of men, of this world. We need to repent and be more into the Word so that we don't forget so that our faith shines brightly in our deeds as well as in our talks.

God said to Abraham: "I will bless you, and you will be a blessing." (Genesis 12:2) He says the same to us. He wants to bless the world through us. He wants us to be "the salt of the world." On a church near the 60 Pomona Freeway in East Los Angeles there is a neon sign which says, "La Luna del Mundo" "The Light of the World." What a mission statement! What a ministry! What an honor! O God, grant us grace to really be what You have called us to be.

Amen.