The Sermon on the Mount, Part 8
Welcome to Timeless Truth with Pastor Jim Thomas. This season, Pastor Jim is leading us in a study of The Sermon on the Mount.
The Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew, chapters 5-7.
“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:13-16
Christians are to have this influence in the world around us. To do this, we cannot isolate. We must populate this world and then we must illustrate to this world, through our relationships, our work, and our creative endeavors, the fourfold story of the Bible: Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration.
“The task of the church is to make the invisible kingdom visible.”
J. I. Packer
Christian influence in this world is grounded upon the Gospel we believe, motivated by the love of God for this world, and illustrated by our response to God’s Word as we live lives of joyful and loving obedience to God and spend our lives in serving our neighbors.
“Only half of the pastor’s work is to gather the people together for worship. The other half is to send them back to their daily tasks equipped to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If we forget this second part, the other can be positively dangerous.”
Lesslie Newbigin
“We should not ask, “What is wrong with the world?” for that diagnosis has already been given. Rather, we should ask, “What has happened to the salt and light?”
John Stott
