Matthew
5:13-20 NIV
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if
the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer
good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the
world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 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. 16 In the same way, let your light shine
before others, that they may see your good deeds and
glorify your Father in heaven.
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. 18 For truly I tell you, until
heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a
pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets
aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly
will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and
teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless
your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law,
you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Shine!
We sure know how to
spoil ourselves, at least I know I do, speaking for myself. And when I spoil
myself, I become ineffective and basically useless.
Salt is used to
preserve and add flavor. A disciple of Jesus is to live life full of flavor,
preserving the will of God in action in life. But, how many times have I
started out with God’s Word in mind, began to do God’s will, and then failed in
my own selfish desires? It’s then that I have lost my saltiness and flavor.
Jesus had just
spoken to His disciples the Beatitudes. He had just taught them the
characteristics that He expected from His followers. Now, Jesus warns them and
us that failure is a possibility, especially when we rely on our own will and
strength to follow all of His teachings that He just dispensed to His
believers.
So, what is our call
in all of this? Well, we are called to preserve our society by not losing our
saltiness, or Jesus’ flavor of love for our neighbor in our society. The
Christian flavor is unique in this world of evil and sin. Only through God and
the guidance of the Holy Spirit can we maintain our flavor. So, you see how
important it is to gather together to hear God’s Word spoken, week after week
from the pulpit? Do you see how important it is to spend time daily in God’s
Word to hear and read God’s guidance in our daily lives?
As disciples of Jesus,
we CAN NOT allow the evil desires of this world to trample on Jesus’ call, to
love and compassion, and giving to our neighbors in need. We serve by serving
God and our neighbor out of love.
We are called to
reflect the Light of Jesus into the world in which we live. We are called to be
on a hill, with this Light, out in the open, for all to see. And as we reflect
the Light of Jesus, we can’t, nor dare, do this to bring attention to
ourselves. We are called to Point to Jesus for all to be drawn to His Light, to
see His forgiveness, to become followers and to, likewise, reflect His Light on
top of everything else in our lives for all to see.
This reflecting of
His Light gets tough for us. For Jesus’ Light is pure. I fail to be pure, but
that doesn’t mean that I can’t reflect the Light of Jesus through my own colors
that God richly supplies.
In this reflection
of the Light of Jesus, His disciples are to support and encourage one another
to remain in, and work in, the mission of God in this world.
And don’t be afraid
to let Jesus’ Light shine in your life. Don’t be bashful and hide it for fear
or shame. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, it’s not your light
after-all, this is God’s Light! So let the Light shine on the stand to bring
Light for the entire house. This is your witness as a disciple of Christ. Let
it shine!
So, we start at home;
to illuminate to your family the Light of Jesus, that’s just the beginning.
Take that Light of Jesus outside. Remember Jesus just taught the Beatitudes, so
act out those actions in the love of God and neighbor to all the world. Why?
We are to glorify
God and all that He has done. Worship God and draw all nations to Him.
You can’t just throw
out the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets because Jesus came to us in the
New Testament. That’s not what this is all about. Jesus fulfills all that was
told by the Prophets, and Jesus fulfills the Law of the Old Testament. So,
study the Old Testament and see Jesus all over the place. Study the Old
Testament as see how God, all along, was set to give us Jesus to forgive and
save us from our sinful selves. God has always wanted for us to be His Children.
Look at all of Scripture with the open eyes through the lens of Jesus, that you
may see how God reaches out to you to save you and make you His own.
Everything, I mean
everything is the fulfillment of God’s plan through His Word. Every speck,
every Word, every Law is there for a purpose. And that purpose is made complete
in Jesus coming. Jesus coming through the Law and the Prophets, Jesus coming
into this world to save all of us, and Jesus coming again at the resurrection
to take all who can’t help but to believe in Him, and to be His own in a new
and perfect world. Why? Because we believe what God has told us all along. Are
we saved because we believe? Kind of, but not exactly. We believe because God
has saved us through His Son Jesus to be His forever. It’s not an action of
ours. Salvation is an action of God, and that’s why we believe. How cool is
that?!
Don’t rationalize
your sin or the sin of anyone else. Don’t make light of your own sin or the sin
of anyone else. Sometimes we have to face into ourselves. Don’t sugar coat or
excuse yourself, or the public, or anyone else. When you hand out phony
excuses, you will only make matters worse. And worse, yet, if you enable
someone or cause the other person to believe all is okay, you hurt them and
yourself for causing disobedience. But, if you speak truth and are honest in
the teachings that Jesus gives us to follow, you will be great in the Kingdom
of God.
It’s not about being
a good guy here and now by enabling another person’s bad or even poor behavior
that makes you great. It’s not about putting on a good face in front of the crowd
and denying your bad behavior, that makes you great in the Kingdom of God. It’s
being truthful and teaching the qualities that may be hard to act on, that
makes one great in the Kingdom of God. This is tough stuff here, but it all
needs to be out in the open. So, teach the truths that Jesus teaches and don’t
sugar coat any failures. Acknowledge the failures and permit Jesus to spin you
around to face Him as He forgives you and has you begin once again. Stick to
the Beatitudes even when it’s tough to do. That’s what obedience is about. This
is saved by grace, and the law that guides the disciple to obedience as a
response to God’s love, not a way to earn God’s love.
Being righteous in
the eyes of God, is not about what I do. Being righteous in the eyes of God is
what Jesus has done. Righteousness is not a “pull yourself up by the bootstraps”
thing. Being righteous is an act of God. What makes the difference, once again,
is how you respond to God’s salvation. God transforms your heart, your mind,
and your life, to lead you to His gift of faith. When you are genuine with God,
you will jump to do God’s will and fulfill His plan in your life, even when it
is tough. You, and I, depend on God. As children of God, we seek to reflect the
teachings, the values, and the life that Jesus teaches. So, listen!
James
2:14-26 NIV
14 What good is it, my brothers and
sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith
save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is
without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you
says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about
their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the
same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith;
I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you
my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that
there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want
evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was
not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his
son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith
and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by
what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled
that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called
God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is
considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab
the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to
the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
For many Lutherans
this passage sounds funny. But not really. Faith and Works go hand in hand. You
need both to be real. You need both to live the life that God gifts us to live
in this world here and now. Jesus teaches us to display our works because of
what He has done for us by forgiving our sins, releasing us from the power of
sin, so that, we can do God’s will here and now and live with Him in His
Kingdom forever. So, keep at it! Why, keep at it? Because God did all He needed
to do to permit you to continue on in His love for Him and for your neighbor.
So, what are we to
do? We are called to free our neighbor from the bondage of sin, hunger, and
homelessness. We are called to serve our neighbor all the love that God has
freely given to us. We are called to bring God to our neighbor.
As the Light of God
shines in the darkness of my life, I sing praise and give thanksgiving to God
for giving His Light to lead and guide me along my path in life.
Don’t worry about
being charismatic, or eloquent, or refined in your life as a disciple. It’s not
about any of that. Don’t worry about sounding wise and educated. It’s not about
any of that. Be the person God created you to be and preach, or say, or act
out, the message or actions, God has given for you to do. Why? Because God’s
power will work through you no matter who you think you are. God will use you
to show His love to all the world in whatever way God chooses. So, let it
happen. Be happy and glad to let it happen, letting all the glory go to God…
today… tomorrow… and forever. Thanks be to God!
What other YouTube
music video could I have ever chosen?
“This Little Light
of Mine”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dySb5HzSfJU&list=RDdySb5HzSfJU&start_radio=1
