I thought we would start off this morning by adding a little stress to our lives.  We all need more stress.  Right?

This is a Necker Cube.  Isn’t that fun?  Kinda hard to orientate the mind on which board is suppose to go where.

Try this one.  These are impossible items.  Things that cannot exist in the universe as we know it.

Last one.  With all due respect to Pastor Steve.  This is one of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes cartoons.  Calvin’s dad says, “Playing a record?  I’ll show you something interesting.  Compare a point on the label with a point on the record’s outer edge.  They both make a complete circle in the same amount of time right?”  “Yeah…”  “But the point on the record’s edge has to make a bigger circle in the same time, so it goes faster.  See, two points on one disk move at two speeds, even though they both make the same revolutions per minute.”

Isn’t that a great way to stress out a child?  Stresses out some adults too!    What does it take to figure that out?  Differential Calculus? 

Last Sunday we began looking at Matthew chapters 5 to 7.  If you’d like to turn ahead we’ll be coming to Matthew 5 in a moment.  Matthew chapters 5 to 7 are referred to as The Sermon on the Mount - “on the mount” because of… where Jesus gave the sermon.  Probably here.  On a mount.  A hillside.  Sea of Galilee in the background.

And “the sermon” because its… a sermon.  An amazing teaching - Jesus teaching about the Kingdom of God and what it means to live within God’s Kingdom in the everyday reality of where we live our lives.

Our trying to understand the Kingdom of God is like trying to process with our minds what is impossible to process in our understanding of creation.  The Kingdom of God is the realm over which God reigns - His dominion.  What it means that God is everywhere sovereign over all of His creation.  How do we process that?

What is God like?  What’s it like for Him to be holy - almighty - all knowing - eternally existing transcendent of time.  How are we to understand God?

What’s it like to dwell in God’s presence - in His kingdom?  Now?  Forever?  The blinding radiance - the magnificence - the awesomeness beyond anything we can even begin to begin to begin to imagine.

How are we to understand God’s kingdom - the universal sovereignty of God - in particular His sovereign rule over the affairs of history - over human life - over our lives?

The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus - out on a hill by the Sea of Galilee - Jesus teaching a diverse - large - crowd of people.  Taking the unimaginable - hard to wrap our minds around - reality of God and His kingdom - and bringing all that down into the reality of where we live our lives.  Teaching us what it means for us to live in relationship with the Sovereign God down on the level where we live life.

Matthew 5 - starting at verse 13:  You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?  It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

How many uses for salt are there?  Its estimated that there are 14,000 plus uses for salt.  Someone said once, “Nothing is more useful than salt and sunshine.” 

In the ancient world salt was used as a preservative.  Salt was rubbed into meat to slow down decay.  Its a process of preservation that we still use today.  Which in part is what Jesus has in mind.

But, Jesus is also talking about taste.

Our bodies need about 180 to 500 mg of sodium a day.  If you’re 51 or older the people that study these kinds of things recommend 1,500 mg a day.  The upper limit of salt intake is 2,300 mg.  After that we’re in serious trouble.

Too much salt and our probabilities for high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke - those probabilities all go up.  It is important to think about how much salt we take in per day.  About 500 mg needed.  About 1,500 mg are recommended.

A McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with cheese has 1,190 mg.  In-N-Out’s Double Double has 1,440 mg.  A Whopper with cheese - 1,450 mg.  Carl’s Jr. - their Super Star with cheese - 1,600 mg.  Carl’s Double Six Dollar Burger has 2,760 mg of sodium.  The average American - because we eat out a lot and eat a lot of processed foods - the average American takes in over 3,400 mg of sodium a day.

Why?  Taste.  Salt in our foods goes way beyond preservation.  We’ve become addicted to the taste.  And, its killing us.

Jesus is talking about taste.  But in a slightly different way.  The word in Greek for “taste” is “moraino” which comes from the word “moron” - meaning “foolish.”

Psalm 14:1 - “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’  They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.”

It doesn’t take a lot of observation to see that the culture surrounding us in this state - in this nation - in the world - and even here in Merced - is morally and spiritually diseased - decaying - in serious serious trouble.  Right?  Whether that’s through the media or the things that are taught in schools - or permitted to go on at school - or the discussions that are held in business settings - or just the decaying norms of how people behave.

What the world needs today is salt that’s salty.  They needed it back in the first century.  We need it today.

Not salt that’s lost its usefulness as salt.  Salt that gets scattered on roofs or roads.  “thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.”

Which is what they did back then.  The salt they had back then was mostly from marshes that would loose its effectiveness as salt.  So, they’d scatter it on roofs and roads to harden the surface.

What the world needs today is salt that offers the reality of something beside corruption and decay. 

Jesus’ point is that God’s people - those who know and honor God with their lives - God’s people are God’s flavoring - God’s wisdom - God’s preserving element in this world - bringing God and His Kingdom into the places where we live our lives.

In Jesus, we are the salt.
 

Hang on to that for yourself.  Its an awesome reality to let sink in.  God - the Almighty God of creation - His kingdom - He touches the world through us.  In Jesus, we are the salt.

Who are we?  “We are the salt.”

Let’s go on.  Verse 14:  You are the light of the world.  A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.  Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see our good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Do you remember the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes?  Remember how this goes?  There was this vain emperor who wanted to be seen by all of his subjects.  So he hired some tailors to design the most beautiful outfit of clothing ever created.  As the story goes, the “tailors” were actually “con men” who devised a scheme to bilk the emperor out of his money.

The “tailors” spent hours weaving at looms to produce the finest quality material.  So fine, they said, that it could only be seen by the most discerning of persons.  Of course there was no material.  But nobody would admit that they were not “discerning” and so couldn’t see the cloth.  So, when the emperor tried on his new outfit, all the royal courtiers praised the quality of the fabric and the beauty of the clothes.

The emperor declared a holiday with a parade through the main street of the city, just so that he could show off his new outfit.  And of course, he ended up marching through throngs of his loyal subjects buff naked.  But, no one would dare admit that they couldn’t see the fabric.  Until one little boy, not concerned with what other people thought about him, shouted out the truth, “But, I don’t see a thing!  The Emperor has no clothes on!”

Light dispels darkness.  Darkness - symbolically means the lies and sin and corruption and decay of this world which comes from Satan.

In the Bible light is a metaphor.  It symbolizes God’s truth - the Word of God.  It symbolizes Jesus and His Gospel.  Light as opposed to darkness.  Light that cuts through all the self-delusions and distractions and Satanic slight of hand - cuts through all that - like a boy stating reality - cuts through all that with the absolute truth of God’s word.

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” (John 8:12)  When we open our lives up to God - giving our lives to God through Jesus Christ - the light that shines in us and through us is the light of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Grab that.  Its an awesome reality.  The Almighty God - God and the reality of life in His kingdom - shine through us into this world.

In Jesus, we are the light. 

Jesus says that that light is like a city set on hill.  It can’t be hidden.  Why would someone hide it? What would be the point?  Especially in this world needing God’s light.

In this world Satan is working to create an illusion of life which in reality is a lie - a lie leading to the torments of hell.  The message - the light of Jesus Christ shining through His people is like the outcry of that little boy.  “This is wrong!  Its a lie!  God has shown us something different!”

Anyone recognize this tower?  Sutro Tower.  977 feet tall - tallest structure in San Francisco - on top of Mount Sutro - the top is 1,800 feet above sea level.  Even on a foggy day - when the city is hidden in fog - Sutro Tower can be seen from all over the Bay Area.

Its like a city set on a hill.  Couldn’t hide it if we tried.  Why would we?  Like a lamp.  Why would anyone want to hide it - cover its light.  What would be the purpose of lighting it and hiding it?

The purpose of being God’s light in the world is to shine - to be seen - visible.

In our society it takes courage to stand for Jesus.  It is not easy to speak out.  It is a hard thing to point out error and confusion and delusion that way to many people are living lives built on.  Jesus said, “You will be hated by all on account of My name.” (Luke 21:17)

But its essential - vital and required - that we speak up - that we declare and live by God’s truth.  The world needs to hear the cry of the Gospel which can set us free from Satan’s lies.

What our neighbors - friends - associates - schools - and every other place we’re in - need for us to say is, “Apart from my Savior I’m nothing.  I don’t have anything to offer - and neither do you.  We’re desperate apart from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  We aren’t going to make it - even doing our best.  God’s answer - the truth is in His Word - the Word - Jesus - the Gospel is our only hope.  The only truth about how to live life is in His word - the Bible.”

Psalm 119:105 says “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”  There are a tremendous number of people who are looking for that light but have no idea where to find it.  We need to hold it up - and in love - say, “Here it is - truth - God’s word.”

We are the what?  The light.

Going on - verse 17:  Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.  For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, nor a dot - not one little letter or punctuation mark of what God has written -  will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Let’s pause and make sure we’re together on what Jesus is getting at.  We need to be clear on what the purpose of the law really is.

Jesus is talking to whom?  A crowd of diverse thousands - diverse backgrounds - diverse spiritually - from different places economically - socially - the suffering - the sick - people just trying to hang on.

Spiritually - to Jesus’ listeners - life with God meant sacrifices - regulations - traditions - impossible standards of holiness - condemnation and ostracism for failure - hundreds of laws imposed on them by their religious leaders.

The Scribes and Pharisees had taught that the law - the five books of Moses - Genesis through Deuteronomy - the 10 Commandments and all the instructions that were given to God’s people - all that was about how to earn a relationship with God - to measure up to God’s demands.  They’d been taught:  Do these things and God might bless you.

And yet - Jesus starts off His Sermon on the Mount with what?  The Beatitudes - verses 1 to 12.  All those “blessed are you’s” - what we looked at last Sunday.   Jesus taught that these people were blessed by God. 

Jesus said - you all - the ones who are trying to live rightly with God - who recognize your spiritual emptiness - and you’re mourning over it - )cause you see yourselves as spiritual failures.  You all who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness - who are crying out for mercy.  Who’ve been run over - longing for peace - who’ve been abused and persecuted - slandered - while you’ve been trying to live in obedience to God - you all are already blessed by God.

In Genesis we read that Abraham believed God and God declared Abraham to be what?  righteous.  (Genesis 15:6)  God and Abraham had a relationship together that God established and blessed.  It wasn’t until Moses - some 600 plus years later that God writes out the 10 commandments on Mount Sinai.

The God of the Bible is a covenant God not a contract God.  His message to us is not, “Do this for Me.  Then I’ll love you.”  That’s a do this and you’ll get paid - blessed - contract.  But instead God says, “I’ve done this for you as your Creator and as your Redeemer.  Therefore this is the kind of relationship that I invite you to be a part of.”

The law is a tutor - an instructor - that coaches us in how to live rightly in our relationship with God.  The prophets declared God’s word to the people so that that relationship could be entered into - maintained - or renewed - lived out in everyday life. (Galatians 3:24)

So many people are trying to live in a relationship with God as a contract - trying to live rightly - morally - as Christians - as Jews - trying to somehow please God - to earn God’s favor.  The 10 Commandments - the hundreds of laws imposed by the Scribes and Pharisees - had become a burdensome list of don’ts that we must fulfill if we’re to avoid the wrath of Almighty God.

An impressive outward demonstration of a righteousness that can only exist within us when God makes it to be so.

Jesus is saying, “I’m not going to abolish the law.  The law - the prophets - all that isn’t going away.  But all that that pointed to I’m going to fulfill it.”  Complete it.  Bring it down to the level of where everyday life is lived out in your relationship with God.  The reality of what it means to live rightly with God.

These people listening to Jesus are about to get a huge upgrade to their operating system.  They’re going from DOS to Windows 8 in one short sermon.

That’s God’s grace on display.  Ephesians 2 - “For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing:  it is the gift of God.”  (Ephesians 2:8)

We don’t need to achieve a relationship with God.  Trying to fulfill the law on our own.  We can’t.  But Jesus did.  Fulfilled it in our place.

Hear Jesus.  His words back then.  His words to us today.  God has brought the reality of that relationship down to you.  God will be the One to satisfy and comfort and be merciful to you.  You all are the sons of God - citizens - heirs of His Kingdom.

When we put our trust in Jesus as our Savior - by faith taking God at His word - God because He is gracious - God makes us to be righteous.  That’s what righteousness is - a made right relationship with God.

God - because of Jesus - sees us as righteous - meaning our sins are forgiven - our relationship with God is made right - restored to what its suppose to be.  God places us in His Kingdom.  We have a God given by grace - relationship with Him in His heavenly kingdom forever.  You all have been blessed by God.

Hold on to that reality.  In Jesus, we are made righteous. 

Verse 19:  Therefore - because God, in Jesus, makes us to be righteous - therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

This is where the wheels fall off of the chariot.  Where the caravan leaves the trade route.

Let’s be careful.  Today when we hear the word “Pharisee” we tend to think about hypocritical - up tight - spiritually puffed up losers.  But the reality in Jesus’ day was that to be a Pharisee was to be held in a position of honor - respect.  These guys could be a bit harsh at times - maybe even a tad over the top.  What they taught was oppressive.  But, ultimately they were very sincere at working very hard at living out things that we admire spiritually.

The Pharisees were dedicated students of theology.  Learned students of God’s word.  Sincere in their faith.  So committed to obey God’s word that they’d come up with hundreds of additional laws just to keep them within the boundaries - way inside the edge - from disobedience.

When Jesus talks about the scribes and Pharisees - the way His audience would have heard that - is a reference to a group of spiritual leaders that were at the highest level of spiritual commitment possible.  Jesus’ audience would have been impressed.

The crowd was oppressed because they struggled to measure up to that standard of righteousness.  But they would have been impressed by the Pharisee’s efforts of living by that standard of righteousness.

So here’s where Jesus plays the Pharisee card and hits His audience with a 2X4.  Hear Jesus:  The righteousness of the Pharisees isn’t good enough.  You need to do better.  You can do better. 

The purpose of the law is what?  The law teaches us what it means to live in the relationship with God that God establishes with us.   

So - follow this - if someone is teaching about the law in a way contrary to the purpose of the law - and teaching others to live in a way that God never intended for His law to be used - according to verse 19 - what does Jesus say about that person?  They’re called least in the kingdom of heaven.

So much for legalism.  If you don’t keep every law of the Scribes and Pharisees you’re a spiritual failure.  If you wear lipstick, play canasta, and listen to the Stryper or For Today you’re going to hell.  Who are the least in God’s kingdom - the Scribes and the Pharisees.  Ouch. 

How righteous are those whom God declares righteous?  Righteous enough to not only enter the kingdom but to be considered great in God’s kingdom.

Steve Zeisler - pastor at PBC over in Palo Alto - Steve Zeisler puts it this way.  “What Jesus has broken open is a world in which people slavishly obey external rigidities.  The first-century Jews were given a religion based on the Old Testament that actually was contradictory to what the Old Testament taught.” (1)

Jesus isn’t doing away with the law and prophets He’s fulfilling what God intended in the first place.  Here’s the awesome part:  We get to live in that fulfillment.

Grab this:  Living in the kingdom isn’t living by what looks impressive outside its living out what God has done for us inside - in our relationship with Him. 

Paul in Ephesians 2 - “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10).  We’re sent to be salt and light so that the testimony - what is produced in us and through us - will testify of God - will lead others to God.

That’s Jesus’ point:  You are the salt.  You are the light.  You are made righteous.  So be the salt.  Be the light.  Live out the righteousness of God in such a way that you will bring the presence of God’s kingdom - the reality of His grace made real in our lives in Jesus - His transforming of your life - God’s presence will be brought into the places where you live life - in such a way that those you salt and light will see your good works - how you’re living your life - and God will be glorified.

Are we together?

Now - here’s where the chariot wheels meet the paving stones of life.  There’s a huge challenge for each of us here as we head out of here into Mercedland out there. 

Up until this point the crowd may have been tracking with Jesus.  A feel good moment.  The kind of feel good moment many of us felt walking out of here last Sunday.  “We’re blessed.  We’re salt.  We’re light.  We’re righteous.  We’re feeling good.  Preach it brother.” 

But Jesus is slowly slipping in a challenge for us - a challenge that if we’re paying attention to what Jesus is saying - that challenge should make each of us hugely uncomfortable.  Do you see it?

Here it is:  Be careful not to lose your saltiness.  Be careful not to hide your light.  Be careful not to slip into living spiritually by what looks impressive on the outside but is lacking spiritually on the inside.

The hill where Jesus taught His Sermon on the Mount - the location of the greatest life changing - most revolutionary - most radical sermon ever preached - where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount - today in Israel is a tourist trap - a stopping point for tourists on the Tour de Israel - a place to buy over priced souvenirs - trinkets and baubles.

How easy is it for us to go from taking in God’s truth - getting all fired up on Sunday - focused on God - times - not just on Sunday - but times when God just blesses our socks off - and then how easy is it to get off track - to focus on ourselves - to think that all that blessing is about us - getting caught up in our own version of being righteous - to go from being salt and light to being something far less useful in God’s kingdom.

David Platt - pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama - David Platt wrote a book entitled “Radical - taking back your faith from the American Dream.”  It’s the kind of book that is hugely uncomfortable - challenging.  I’d like to share a short quote with you so that you can be uncomfortable too.

David Platt writes, “It’s Christian history.  Persecution and suffering as we see today in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa have marked followers of Christ from the beginning of the church.  In the nearly three hundred years before Christianity was legalized by Constantine, followers of Christ faced terrible persecution.  For ten generations, Christians dug nearly six hundred miles of catacombs beneath and around the city of Rome.  Catacombs were underground tombs where Christians often gathered in secret for worship.  Thousand and thousands of Christians were buried there as a result of intense persecution.

“Archaeologists who have explored the catacombs have found a common inscription scattered throughout them.  The inscription was the Greek word ‘ichthus,’ which was used as an acrostic for ‘Jesus Christ, God’s Son, the Savior.’  You might recognize this sign because now these fish symbols are scattered across the backs of cars belonging to Christians.  How far we have come when we paste this symbol identified with martyred brothers and sisters in the first century onto the backs of our SUVs and luxury sedans in the twenty-first century.”  (1)

Fish symbols and One Way Stickers.  Crosses.  Jewelry.  Fancy Bible covers.  Showing up on Sundays.  Works of service.  Stuff we post of Facebook.  How easy would it be for all that to be external - lacking the inner commitment - the depth of relationship - the death to ourselves - that enables the freedom - the work of salt - the shining of light - even in martyrdom.

Jesus in another setting - when He taught His disciples about what it meant to be salt and light - Jesus said that the fields are ready to be harvested.  There are billions of people on earth - thousands around us just here in Merced - who have no clue who Jesus is.  Who are facing eternity without God - judgment and eternal wrath and torment.

Jesus said, I’m sending you into that field to be harvesters.  You go.  You be the salt and light - let your light - your life - so shine in the darkness of this Satan deluded world - that men, women, children will see your good works - not our works of righteousness - but God’s work of righteousness in us.

First century Christians - tortured - persecuted - blessed.  Salt and light.  Lives surrendered to God - living by His grace.  God used to turn the world up side down.  What about us?  Are we busy living the American Dream version of Christianity or God’s?  

Do you hear Jesus’ challenge?  What would it look like in your life to be salt?  To be light?  To live out the righteousness of God?

This is Mark and Alice Westlind - and their family - who were missionaries in Colombia.  They’re now in Argentina with the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Listen to a short excerpt from one of their prayer letters from while they were in Columbia.  “Driving through Christmas traffic, fighting the drizzling rain, I chanced on a 4-year-old little girl.  She was wet and cold and shaking.  Her clothes were ragged, her hair was matted, and her nose was running.  She walked between the cars at the stoplight, washing headlights because she was too short to wash windshields.  A few gave her coins, others honked at her to get away from their vehicles.  As I drove away only some 50 cents poorer, I raged at God for the injustice in the world that allowed the situation. ‘God, how could You just stand by, helpless.’  Later that evening, God came to me softly with that still small voice and responded not in like kind to my rage, but with tenderness, ‘I have done something.  I created you.’” (3)

Sometimes we’re tempted to doubt the truth of what Jesus says here - about being salt and light.  Sometimes we think that we don’t have what it takes.  Or, that we’ve failed too miserably.  We think of ourselves as tasteless or the dim bulb in the box.  Why should God bless my puny little efforts.  How could I ever glorify God?

Being salt and light isn’t about us.  Its about who?  God - what He has done in our lives - blessed us with.   We may never see or never know this side of heaven how He’s using us.  That’s not the point.  When we choose to obey Him - to place our lives in His hands - He will bring glory to Himself through us.

You are the salt.  You are the light.  Live that God may be glorified.

_______________

1. Steve Zeisler, “The Fulfilling of the Law”  Sermon on Matthew 5:17-20

2. David Platt, Radical - taking back your faith from the American dream, Multnomah Books, Colorado Springs, CO, 2010, pages 168-169.

3. RBS, ODB, 01.03.97