fromthepreacherspc

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT #11

“Ye Are The Salt of the Earth”

(Matthew 5:13)

INTRODUCTION

A. We now leave the Beatitudes altogether and move into the
next section of the Sermon on the Mount

1. Remember, however, that the beatitudes have to do with
two things

a. Faith – beginning, growth, maturity and testing

b. Character of people who would be disciples of Jesus

2. It is essential to remember the beatitudes, because they set
up a foundation upon which the rest of the sermon is built

B. In this lesson we look at Jesus’ statement about salt

1. Matthew 5:13

2. This must have amazed the people who heard it for they
were not among the world’s powerful or elite, or in any
way in a position to think of themselves as able to impact
the world

3. However, Jesus knew something about both the world and
about them that is not always readily apparent

C. Today, then we will concentrate on this idea of being the
salt of the earth

DISCUSSION

A. THE STATEMENT REVEALS SOMETHING
ABOUT THE WORLD

1. We are tempted to begin immediately talking about the
people and the fact that Jesus said they are the salt of
the earth

a. First, we must understand that whatever the statement
means, we must first understand the clear implication
about the world

b. We must understand what Jesus knew about the world
before we can understand about salt

2. Jesus clearly implies that the world is full of decay, full
of things that lead to illness and death

a. The world has something called sin which is loose and
on a rampage

b. The tendency of the world is toward that which is evil
and bad

c. The world is corrupt and offensive, it is polluted,
decaying and dying

3. Note a few verses that give us the biblical concept of the
world

a. Psalm 14:1-3

b. Jeremiah 17:9

c. Genesis 6:5-6

4. If you understand the implication about the world in
Jesus’ statement, his intention for us as salt becomes
clear

a. Salt works because it is fundamentally different from
that to which it is applied

b. Just as the beatitudes taught us, we are to be different
from the world

c. Only when we are different, can we really have the
effect that Jesus had in mind

B. THE STATEMENT REVEALS SOMETHING
ABOUT GOD’S PEOPLE

1. To understand what Jesus reveals about God’s people,
now we must understand some things about salt

a. Salt is a preservative – rubbed into meat, for example, it
prevents the meat from decaying, and keeps it good to
eat

1) Note that salt doesn’t make something good

2)  Salt can only keep something from becoming bad

b. Salt is an antiseptic – dissolved in a glass of water, it
helps kill the germs that cause a sore throat

1) You don’t gargle with salt-water to stay healthy

2)  You gargle to kill the germs

c. Salt is a seasoning agent – sprinkled on bland food, it
helps to enhance the flavor

1) Salt by itself doesn’t taste so good

2)  Salt applied to food makes it better

2. When we make the application of this image of salt to
the people to whom Jesus spoke, it becomes clearer
what Jesus wanted his disciples to do

a. We are to function as a preservative in the world

1) This applies specifically to the tendency of the world
toward the rottenness of sin

2) We do this by being different from the world in which
we live

3) I think you see this effect when a godly man or
woman makes his or her presence known to the world

4) Often, the fact that a godly person is present, stops the
trend toward sin and worse sin

b. We are to function as an antiseptic in the world

1) Again, this applies specifically to sin in the world

2) We do this by living faithfully to God

3) I think you see this effect when our involvement in
life not only stops the trend toward sin, but turns the
trend back toward God

4) We do this when we have opportunity to help set the
pace and the agenda by which the world lives

c. We are to be a seasoning agent in the world

1) This applies to the fact that without God, life becomes
dull and bland and causes people to seek the
ever-elusive thrill

2) Without God, man is on a never ending quest for
meaning and satisfaction

3) You see the salt-effect in the changed lives, values,
meaning and purpose in God’s people

4) We do this by helping people see there is an
alternative to the constant downward spiral of
despair

3. Consider what these verses say about the Christian and the
world

a. Ephesians 5:1-4

b. John 17:15-18

c. Philippians 4:4-8

d. Philippians 4:11-12

e. Romans 12:1-2

f. 1 John 2:15-17

C. WHAT IF SALT LOSES ITS SALTINESS

1. Essentially, the question is:

a. “What happens when salt is no longer different from that
to which it is applied?

b. “What happens when salt no longer functions as salt?”

2. We know something has happened to the salt if the
saltiness is lost

a. Basically, about the only way this can happen is for the
salt to become mixed with another element to the extent
that it is made ineffective

b. This happens when the people who are to be different
from the world become just like the world

c. It that happens, we can no longer preserve, purify or
season the world because we will have the same need of
salt as they do

3. Such salt is useless to both God and man

CONCLUSION

A. We are called to change the world in which we live

1. We do it by being different from that which is normally
found in the world

2. We do it by practicing the life of God in the midst of a
sinful world

B. Here is where we need to begin making some real
examination of ourselves

1. Is there a clear distinction between your life and that of the
people who live around you and ?

2. Are you indifferent to the condition of the world and to
your responsibility to affect your part of the world for
good?

C. Matthew 5:13

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT #10

“BLESSED ARE THEY WHICH ARE PERSECUTED”

(Matthew 5:10)

INTRODUCTION

A. Today we come to the last of the beatitudes – Matthew 5:10

B. We have been looking at the beatitudes as they relate to
faith

1. The beginning of faith – poor in spirit, those who mourn,
the meek

2. The development of faith – hungering and thirsting after
righteousness

3. The maturing of faith – the merciful, the pure in heart, the
peacemakers

C. Now we come to the beatitude that speaks to the testing or
proving of one’s faith – persecution

1. Christians should expect their faith to be tested

2. 1 Peter 1:6-7

3. It is important to know what Jesus spoke about so that real
faith can exist among us

DISCUSSION

A. SOME THINGS ARE NOT PERSECUTION

1. There is a difference between being persecuted and
being punished for some misdeed

a. 1 Peter 4:14-16

b. Peter makes it clear that a Christian who is punished for
a crime, or even if you are chastised for being a
busybody, that is deserved and it has nothing to do with
what Jesus discussed

c. The blessing derived from persecution is altogether
different from that

2. Based on Peter’s statement, we might list some other
forms of reproach that are not the persecution Jesus
meant

a. Jesus didn’t mean persecution arising because you
are difficult, hard to get along with, or objectionable
in conduct

1) I have known people who were simply ugly, mean
folks who thought that’s what it meant to be a Christian

2) If that’s you, you deserve for people to give you a hard
time

b. Jesus didn’t mean persecution arising because you
are weak in faith, immature in your actions, and
unwise in the conduct of your life

1) There are people who do really dumb things and are
amazed that it backfires on them

2) If you are shocked at the effects of weak faith on your
life, then you need to know also that there is no
particular blessing headed your way for being
foolish

c. Jesus didn’t mean persecution arising out of fanatical
religious belief or behavior

1) Many people know us as the folks who think we’re the
only ones going to heaven, and everybody else is going
to hell

2) We deserve a hard time if we’ve used that idea to
badger people and beat them up religiously

d. Jesus didn’t mean persecution arising for being good
in behavior

1) Truthfully, even the world usually appreciates people
for doing good things for others

2) None of these things are what Jesus discussed

B. THE KIND OF PERSECUTION JESUS MEANT

1. Look at the whole statement Jesus made

a. Matthew 5:10-11

b. Jesus names two reasons for this persecution:

1) For righteousness sake

2) For My sake

2. We must understand that this persecution is that which
comes for specific reasons

a. Consider a few quotes

1) Wiersbe – “The world has no problem accepting and
following a religious leader who permits them to stay in
their sins; but they will crucify the man who dares to
point them to a narrow gate that leads to a narrow
way.”

2) Wiersbe — “Jesus was different, and a world that
thrives on conformity cannot tolerate differences. We
are children of light, and they are children of darkness.
We are alive in the Spirit, and they are dead in sins. We
live by faith, and they live by sight. We understand
them, but they do not understand us.”

3) Wiersbe — “Let a man announce that he belongs to a
religious group – be it Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran,
or what have you – and few people, if anybody, will get
upset. But let him announce that he is a Christian, let
the name of Christ come into the conversation, and war
is declared.”

b. Consider the testimony of Scripture

1) John 15:18-21

2) 2 Timothy 3:10-12

3. Jesus meant the persecution that comes from following
him, putting your faith in him, and having your life
changed by him

a. The person who lives the beatitudes will be persecuted
because he or she will be different from the world

b. Think of just a few basic differences

1) Poor in spirit – won’t operate out of pride or arrogance
and so will be susceptible to the power hungry of the
world

2) Mourners – they mourn over their own sins and sins of
others, they do not gladly participate in them

3) The Meek – these are the gentle people who are so
often misunderstood and who take a lot of the world’s
abuse

4) Those who Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness –
they are after an entirely different set of values and
behavior

5) The Merciful – these are people who refuse to take
revenge, who deal with others in a way different from
the world

6) The Pure in Heart – these do not mix with the world,
and make every effort not to be stained by the ways of
the world

7) The Peacemakers – these are the ones trying to bring
about the will of God among the people of the world

c. Consider all these characteristics in light of the two
reasons for being persecuted

1) Righteousness

2) Jesus Christ

d. Put that kind of person into the world and
persecution is bound to come

C. WHY IS PERSECUTION THE PROOF OF FAITH?

1. Consider the following

a. Romans 8:35-39

b. 2 Corinthians 4:8-18

c. Revelation 2:8-10

2. Persecution is the proof of faith for two reasons

a. Of the beatitudes, it is the only one that is not an internal
characteristic of the disciple, but one which he or she
must endure from others

b. Persecution demands that all the other beatitudes are at
work in a person’s life

c. Therefore the ability to withstand persecution (for
righteousness’ sake and for Jesus’ sake) proves our faith

CONCLUSION

A. Are you going through any persecution?

1. Make sure it isn’t because of some negative thing you are
bringing upon yourself

2. Make sure it is the outworking of your faith – persecution
that rises from righteousness and following Jesus Christ

3. Make sure it is because your life is different from the
world, just as the life of Jesus was different from the
world.

B. Persecution will prove your faith

BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS

(Matthew 5:9)

INTRODUCTION

A. Our study of the Sermon on the Mount has focused so far
upon the beatitudes

1. The beatitudes serve as an introduction to the Sermon on
the Mount – it is a basic primer on the content to follow

2. The beatitudes are also a description of basic
characteristics that the man or woman of God must
possess to have a saving faith

a. Remember  Hebrews 11:6

b.  But remember also Matthew 7:21

c. James 2:24

3. The beatitudes are very much a primer on faith. The
beatitudes teach us:

a. How faith begins

1) Poor in spirit

2) Mourners

3) Meekness

b. How faith grows – Hunger and thirst after
righteousness

c. How faith matures

1) Merciful

2) Pure in heart

3) Peacemakers

d. How faith is tested  – Persecution

B. Matthew 5:9

1. In the over 3100 years of recorded world history, the
world has only been at peace 8% of the time or a total of
286 years and 8000 treaties have been made and broken

2. Peace often seems to elude us

C. Remember that the beatitudes build on one another

1. A peacemaker must first learn to practice the two other
elements that indicate maturity of faith

2. Becoming merciful and pure in heart are essential to
becoming a peacemaker

D. Today we will look at what it means to be a peacemaker
and how it affects our lives

DISCUSSION

A.. THE MEANING OF PEACEMAKER

1. The Biblical Idea of Peace

a. A positive force – the presence of all that is good

b. Peace carries the idea of total well-being of mind and
heart and body

c. It is not just the cessation or absence of war or conflict –
absence of conflict does not insure any positive blessing

d. Peace is both relief from war and the possession of all
that one needs for a full and satisfying life

2. A peacemaker is a person who is actively seeking to
establish and maintain peace

a. He is a person who does not make war or create conflicts
with others

b. He is a person who seeks to resolve conflicts and
eliminate all hostility

c. He is a person who tries to provide what others need for
life

d. He is a positive force for good and all that is profitable
for mankind

B. PEACEMAKERS ARE THOSE WHOSE LIFE
DEMONSTRATES PEACE

1. Peacemakers are at peace with God

a. Romans 5:1

b. James 4:1-4

c. Sin makes us an enemy of God

2. Peacemakers are at peace with others

a. Romans 14:19

b. 2 Corinthians 13:11

c. Romans 12:18

3. Peacemakers are at peace with themselves

a. Psalm 122:8

b. Proverbs 3:1-2

c. Colossians 3:15

THUS: Peace makers are at peace with…

C. PEACEMAKING IS THE ULTIMATE WORK
OF GOD IN THE WORLD

1. Perhaps one of the reasons that making peace is a
characteristic of mature faith is that peace is the ultimate
work of God

a. Romans 15:33

1) What an all-encompassing statement

2) When the God of peace is with us, conflict is
eliminated and all the positive blessings for life are
ours

b. Romans 16:20

1) It is the God of peace who defeats Satan, the enemy

2) God resolves the war to bring peace to our lives

c. Philippians 4:9

1) The God peace is with those who do His will

2) Our trusting obedience in following His teachings will
produce peace in our lives

d. 1 Thessalonians 5:23

1) The God of peace sanctifies – sets us apart to holiness

2) The sanctification and peace have eternal
consequences in our favor

e. Hebrews 13:20-21

1) The God of peace equips us to do His will

2) His peace does not leave us floundering or wondering
how to please him

CONCLUSION

A. We need to remember a few basics as we close

1. The source of peace is God – that’s why it’s a matter of
faith – we must trust and obey him in order to receive and
give peace

2. The enemy of peace is Satan and sin – wherever there is
discord, or conflict you can know that Satan is having his
way

3. Christians reflect peace in their lives both as a quality they
have within themselves and as a blessing they share with
others

B. Making peace requires a tremendous faith

1. It is always easier to create conflict

2. Peace demands that we turn to God and to his ways

C. If we were to look at your life, what legacy would it be leaving?

1. One of peace

2. One of conflict

BLESSED ARE THE PURE IN HEART

(Matthew 5:8)

INTRODUCTION

A. We continue our study of the beatitudes which serve to introduce the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus

1. Together, the beatitudes teach us about faith – how to have faith and how to be a person of faith

a. The beginning of faith – poor in spirit / mourners / the meek

b. The growth of faith – hunger & thirst after righteousness

c. The maturing of faith begins with being merciful

2. Today we will have more on the maturing of faith

B. Matthew 5:8

1. “At some point in life, each of us must decide what is his highest joy; for the thing that delights us directs us … What we are determines how much we enjoy what we have and what we do.” (Warren Wiersbe)

2. We will discover that it is the heart of man that determines who and what he is – it is his true identity

3. Who we are, what we are – determines life

4. The gospel of Jesus Christ is concerned about the heart: all its emphasis is upon the heart.

C. I read somewhere that scientists have discovered that at the heart of every snowflake there is a tiny speck of dust

1. On the outside it is a wonder of beauty, it looks clean and pure

2. In reality – it’s a dirty-hearted little snowflake

3. Someone may say, “Well, doesn’t that disprove your point since the snowflake is known for its beauty and its symbol of purity?”

4. The answer is no – I’m not talking about what it is known for, I’m talking about what it is at its core

5. When it comes to human beings, it’s the same – what are we at our core when you look beneath the facade or the dressing

D. A mature faith reflects the tremendous change in the man or woman who has discovered their great need for God and who has sought him with intense desire

1. Faith changes a person on the inside

2. The result is not a cover, but a reflection of the image of God in the heart of the person

DISCUSSION

A. DEFINING THE TERMS

1. The word “pure” comes from kaqaros

a. Carries the idea of cleansed or purified.

b. Unmixed (a pure substance – one not mixed with something else, like oil and water)

c. Note the use of the word

1) Matthew 23:25-26 “clean”

2) John 15:3 “clean”

d. “The basic idea is that of integrity, singleness of heart, as opposed to duplicity, a double heart, a divided heart” (Wiersbe)

1) Psalm 78:70-72

2) Psalm 7:8

3) Psalm 25:21

4) Psalm 41:12

e. This singleness of heart, the clear, clean purpose of the heart is that which keeps us focused on God

1) Psalm 86:11-12

2) A pure heart cannot be mixed with worldly or ungodly things

3) A pure heart cannot be characterized by that which is unclean

2. The Heart

a. Sometimes it is the emotions

1) John 14:1

2) Nehemiah 2:2

b. Sometimes it is the intellect or the mind

1) Mark 2:8

2) Hebrews 4:12

c. Sometimes it is the will of man

1) Daniel 1:8

2) Luke 21:14

d. Altogether, the biblical picture of the heart is that it is the entirety of the inner man

1) Proverbs 4:23

2) Matthew 15:8

3) Ephesians 6:6

e. It is the heart that is the source of all man’s trouble

1) Jeremiah 17:9

2) Genesis 6:5

3) Mark 7:21-23

B. PURITY OF HEART IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF A MATURE FAITH

1. True Christianity is not simply a matter of reformed behavior. It is a matter of the condition and state of a person’s heart

a. The poor-in-spirit person is the one without the prideful heart, and is the one willing to acknowledge he is nothing without God

b. The mourner is the one who realizes and admits to the true condition of his heart, damaged and wrecked by sin

c. The meek person is gentle, having lost any need or desire to take vengeance on the world, knowing his own need instead

d. The person hungry and thirsty for righteousness is the one whose heart has yearned to be fed with godliness

e. The merciful is the person filled with pity and compassion in his heart for others

f. Now we see that the pure in heart is the person who has begun to reflect the presence of the Lord in his life

g. At every point, it is not the outward behavior but the inner man that has become something new, something better

2. Illustration Hindu trader in India once asked a missionary, “What do you put on your face to make it shine?” With surprise the man of God answered, “I don’t put anything on it!” His questioner began to lose patience and said emphatically, “Yes, you do!” All of you who believe in Jesus seem to have it. I’ve seen it in the towns of Agra and Surat, and even in the city of Bombay.” Suddenly the Christian understood, and his face glowed even more as he said, “Now I know what you mean, and I will tell you the secret. It’s not something we put on from the outside but something that comes from within. It’s the reflection of the light of God in our hearts. (M. Lloyd-Jones)

3. Note the emphasis the Bible places on that which God does with our hearts

a. Matthew 6:21

b. John 7:38

c. 2 Corinthians 3:3

d. Hebrews 10:21-22

CONCLUSION

A. How’s your heart? What is it filled with? How would it be described?

B. Faith matured is a wonderful blessing – it brings us into the very presence of God, and allows us to reflect the image of God in our lives