The Teachings of Jesus: 4 weeks in the Life of Christ (Day 5)

Tuesday, April 29th, 2008
by Justin

Matthew 5:13-20

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 by men.

14″You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither 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. 16In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
The Fulfillment of the Law
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. 18I tell you the truth, 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. 19Anyone who breaks 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 practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20For 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.

Jesus is still in his intro on the Sermon on the Mount. He just got done telling his disciples that they need to take on these “spiritual qualities.” Kind of similar to the fruits of the spirit. when these spiritual qualities are apart of your life you are living with the kingdom in mind, we need to start focusing on bringing others to the kingdom.

  • 1. You are salt- you make people thirsty for the kingdom. You preserve people so that their decay is slower. *WARNING* DON’T LOSE THE SALTINESS.
  • 2. You are light- you shine in a dark world. You illuminate people’s paths.

    • LIGHT DRAWS YOU TO SOMETHING. It causes a distraction from the darkness.

    v. 16- let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your father in heaven.

  • What are your good deeds? This is the questions that has haunted me. Because each sect of Christianity has “their” set of good deeds. This is the focus of my study for these 4 weeks. how do my deeds, good or bad, deter from how God deals with me? If my deeds can bring people to God, then my deeds can push people away from God? And if I help push people away from God, what does God think about that? And how does God deal differently with me who is salt and light to this world as opposed to one who is already in darkness?

    • Jesus goes on to say that He isn’t here to do away with what the law says, but to fulfill it. Not until Jesus comes again will the law be done away with because the law shows us our sinfulness which is to lead us to repentance and a lifestyle and change. That lifestyle change leads us to the kingdom of God.

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