SALT AND LIGHT IN A TASTELESS AND DARK WORLD
Part 2
"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:13-16
These words were spoken by Jesus to His disciples in what is known as the Sermon On The Mount, the longest single discourse of Jesus in all of the Gospels, as recorded in Matthew 5-7.
Jesus used the two metaphors of salt and light to attribute qualities by which His disciples - those who would follow and live by His teachings, empowered by the Holy Spirit - would be distinguishable from all others.
Jesus said of Himself, in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
Jesus used the two metaphors of salt and light to attribute qualities by which His disciples - those who would follow and live by His teachings, empowered by the Holy Spirit - would be distinguishable from all others.
Jesus said of Himself, in John 8:12 "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
The apostle John in the fourth Gospel, bearing his name, introduces us to Jesus, the Light of the world in the first chapter of his book.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [John the Baptist]
This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:1-13 NKJV
1 John 2:5 says .....God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
The Bible says of God, in 1 Timothy 6:15, 16 that He is God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen, or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen. NIV
James 1:17 tells us: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shadow of turning. MEV.
Just like the dramatic portrayals in countless movies of the clashes of good and evil, darkness and light, or using the vernacular of the past, between the good guys and the bad guys, the overarching battle of the universe is between two opposing and diametrically opposed dominions, that of darkness, ruled by Satan, and the Kingdom of Light, ruled by the all-powerful, all-knowing and ever-present Eternal God-in-three Persons, the One True and Living God, represented by the Trinity - Father, Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.
When we speak of God as Light, all that is pure, holy, righteous, of the Truth, and displaying the character of God in His love for mankind, in both His mercy and His just judgments, are contained in that brilliant metaphor.
On the other hand, Satan, as the ruler of darkness, is totally evil. There is absolutely nothing about his character to be commended. He is, as the Bible says, a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44.
He is the thief, who comes to steal, kill and destroy, as Jesus says in John 10:10. He has been a murderer from the beginning, as Jesus also says in Jn. 8:44.
That the vast majority of mankind are dwelling in spiritual darkness, under Satan's dominion is borne out in John 3:19-21, where Jesus says "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
"But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." NKJV
Speaking prophetically to the kingdom of Judah at around 700BC, but also prophetically down through the ages to the Church in the present day, in Isaiah 59:19, 20 and 60:1-3 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
"The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," says the Lord.
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
From the above prophetic verses in Isaiah, it is evident that, just as Jesus spoke of Himself as the Light of the World in John 8:12, as mentioned earlier, and that He addressed His disciples saying: "You are the light of the world", He intended for His followers to shine the light of God's love, power and holiness to a world filled with darkness, by the authority bestowed on them by the Lord, to see people transformed by the power of God, in turning their lives from darkness and bondage to light and freedom only found in a relationship with Christ.
The apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:20 says....we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
Paul further admonishes Christians in Ephesians, chapter 5 with these words: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the lord. Walk as children of light
(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth),
finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Therefore He says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light." Ephesians 5:8-14
The apostle John, in 1 John 4:18 says..............as He (Jesus) is, so are we in this world.
Even when Jesus walked this earth as a man, He commissioned His then disciples to go out and to do the works He was doing, as a foretaste of the life of witness and power that they could and would walk in, when He left them following His death on the cross, and subsequent triumphant resurrection. Filled with the Holy Spirit's power, they would shine the light of God's love and power to a lost and dying world - to people desperate for a way out of the darkness and emptiness of life without ultimate purpose and meaning.
The apostle Paul, in Philippians 2:14-16, says that Christians are to: Do everything without complaining or arguing,
So that you may become blameless and pure,
Children of God without fault
In a crooked and depraved generation
In which you shine like stars in the universe
As you hold out the Word of Life. NIV
More than ever before, Christians, the Light-bearers, need to be shining for Jesus, holding forth the Word of Life, filled with the Holy Spirit - living lives committed wholly to the Word of God, without compromise - even when it means going counter to the culture in aspects at odds with the Word of God. The world is watching and waiting for the Church to arise and shine with all the brilliance of the risen Christ (The Anointed One and His Anointing). The time to simply blend in with the cultural surroundings in order to seem to be relevant is over. Christ is calling forth a people who, as His ambassadors are living pure lives, who know the power of His love and forgiveness, who know the pit from which they have been lifted, and who are not ashamed to stand up and be counted as those who fully align with God's standards of love and Holiness.
If you have read this blog, and would like to know more about becoming a Christian, a useful resource I suggest is: vision.org.au. Click on the "Grow your faith" tab, then click on the "Looking for God?" link.
Come out of the darkness into the light of God's love and power to transform your life as no one or no thing can. God Bless!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. [John the Baptist]
This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.
He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:1-13 NKJV
1 John 2:5 says .....God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.
The Bible says of God, in 1 Timothy 6:15, 16 that He is God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen, or can see. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen. NIV
James 1:17 tells us: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change or shadow of turning. MEV.
Just like the dramatic portrayals in countless movies of the clashes of good and evil, darkness and light, or using the vernacular of the past, between the good guys and the bad guys, the overarching battle of the universe is between two opposing and diametrically opposed dominions, that of darkness, ruled by Satan, and the Kingdom of Light, ruled by the all-powerful, all-knowing and ever-present Eternal God-in-three Persons, the One True and Living God, represented by the Trinity - Father, Son (the Lord Jesus Christ) and Holy Spirit.
When we speak of God as Light, all that is pure, holy, righteous, of the Truth, and displaying the character of God in His love for mankind, in both His mercy and His just judgments, are contained in that brilliant metaphor.
On the other hand, Satan, as the ruler of darkness, is totally evil. There is absolutely nothing about his character to be commended. He is, as the Bible says, a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44.
He is the thief, who comes to steal, kill and destroy, as Jesus says in John 10:10. He has been a murderer from the beginning, as Jesus also says in Jn. 8:44.
That the vast majority of mankind are dwelling in spiritual darkness, under Satan's dominion is borne out in John 3:19-21, where Jesus says "And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
"For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
"But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." NKJV
Speaking prophetically to the kingdom of Judah at around 700BC, but also prophetically down through the ages to the Church in the present day, in Isaiah 59:19, 20 and 60:1-3 So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
"The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob," says the Lord.
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
From the above prophetic verses in Isaiah, it is evident that, just as Jesus spoke of Himself as the Light of the World in John 8:12, as mentioned earlier, and that He addressed His disciples saying: "You are the light of the world", He intended for His followers to shine the light of God's love, power and holiness to a world filled with darkness, by the authority bestowed on them by the Lord, to see people transformed by the power of God, in turning their lives from darkness and bondage to light and freedom only found in a relationship with Christ.
The apostle Paul, in 2 Corinthians 5:20 says....we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you, on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
Paul further admonishes Christians in Ephesians, chapter 5 with these words: For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the lord. Walk as children of light
(for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness and truth),
finding out what is acceptable to the Lord.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret.
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.
Therefore He says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light." Ephesians 5:8-14
The apostle John, in 1 John 4:18 says..............as He (Jesus) is, so are we in this world.
Even when Jesus walked this earth as a man, He commissioned His then disciples to go out and to do the works He was doing, as a foretaste of the life of witness and power that they could and would walk in, when He left them following His death on the cross, and subsequent triumphant resurrection. Filled with the Holy Spirit's power, they would shine the light of God's love and power to a lost and dying world - to people desperate for a way out of the darkness and emptiness of life without ultimate purpose and meaning.
The apostle Paul, in Philippians 2:14-16, says that Christians are to: Do everything without complaining or arguing,
So that you may become blameless and pure,
Children of God without fault
In a crooked and depraved generation
In which you shine like stars in the universe
As you hold out the Word of Life. NIV
More than ever before, Christians, the Light-bearers, need to be shining for Jesus, holding forth the Word of Life, filled with the Holy Spirit - living lives committed wholly to the Word of God, without compromise - even when it means going counter to the culture in aspects at odds with the Word of God. The world is watching and waiting for the Church to arise and shine with all the brilliance of the risen Christ (The Anointed One and His Anointing). The time to simply blend in with the cultural surroundings in order to seem to be relevant is over. Christ is calling forth a people who, as His ambassadors are living pure lives, who know the power of His love and forgiveness, who know the pit from which they have been lifted, and who are not ashamed to stand up and be counted as those who fully align with God's standards of love and Holiness.
If you have read this blog, and would like to know more about becoming a Christian, a useful resource I suggest is: vision.org.au. Click on the "Grow your faith" tab, then click on the "Looking for God?" link.
Come out of the darkness into the light of God's love and power to transform your life as no one or no thing can. God Bless!
An added anecdote from Tessa
When I was about eight years old, we moved near a church. Inside was a sign, hanging above the altar. It said: "The Light shines in the darkness."
That verse from John's gospel has meant a lot to me over the years.
Even in the darkest, deepest times, God's Light and Truth have never failed us ever.
