light of the world

Opening prayer
Father God we ask your blessing on this study tonight, that you would open our minds and our hearts to your word.  Bring us to the realization of those matters that you would have us learn from this study. Make us aware that in this world you do not always work independently.  Help us to realize that we too are vessels that you use to further your Kingdom on this earth. Jesus says that we are the Salt of the earth, and the light of the world, and it is through us that you seek to spread the word of Your Kingdom. We pray that your peace and comfort be with those of us who are sick or disabled and cannot be here tonight. We ask that you share our blessing with them. Lead us now and give us understanding as we study the teachings of Jesus, The word of God..
In Jesus Name we pray Amen

This Study is a continuation of the Sermon on the Mount which started with our study of the Beatitudes. Jesus is sitting in an amphitheater setting where he has a mountain for a backdrop. The Sermon on the Mount is the longest of any teaching from Jesus in the Bible and occupies chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew. The Sermon has been one of the most widely quoted of any of Jesus teachings. To most believers the Sermon contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship.  It is the first of the Five Discourses of Matthew, the other four being Matthew 10,Matthew 13 (1–53), Matthew 18 and the Olivet discourse in Matthew 24.
The Sermon takes place relatively early in the Ministry of Jesus, after he has been baptized by John the Baptist and has now gathered his first disciples. Before this episode, Jesus had been "all about Galilee" preaching, teaching, healing and spreading the word of God and "great crowds followed him" from all around the area.

Meditation
"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"
If salt lost its flavor, it would be worthless, for its flavor is what makes it valued. Salt is good precisely because it tastes different than other things. In the same way, Jesus' disciples are scattered in the world—but if they are just like the world, they are not doing any good.
"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 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" (vs. 14-15). The disciples are not to hide themselves—they are to be seen. Their example is part of their message.
"In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (v. 16). Later, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for doing works in order to be seen (6:1). But good works should be seen—for God's praise, not our own.







Lesson #1 Sermon on the Mount… Who is righteous?                  Pg.1                                              
Mat 5:13  "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.

Speaking to the crowd and specifically to his disciples, Jesus instructs them on righteousness with two parables. Jesus encourages them to become the salt of the earth and to season the world around them with grace. If their savor should fail as the Pharisees and scribes, it would be worth nothing at all. Without salt human life cannot be sustained. Thoughts and affections, words and deeds, all seasoned with grace. What are we to be to others?  We must not only be good but do good, That those whom we meet might know that about us, not from a secular interest but from a Godly interest.

Even though this passage is not part of the Beatitudes, it has a lot to do with the Beatitudes. The people who are said to be blessed because they are poor in spirit, because they mourn, because they are meek, these are precisely the people who, by their Christlikeness, are the salt of the earth. ‘The blessed man of the Beatitudes,’ the Lord Jesus says, ‘is to function as the salt of the earth.’ Notice that the last Beatitude changes from ‘Blessed are those who’ to ‘Blessed are you.’ The first eight statements were impersonal. Anyone who is like this is blessed. But now in v. 11, the last Beatitude makes it very specific that Jesus is talking about His disciples. Blessed are you (My disciples) when people revile you. And this ‘you’ continues into v. 13, You are the salt of the earth, connecting this verse directly to the Beatitudes. The beatitudes define the Christian, the Christian then is the “salt of the earth”. We then should be careful not to lose our saltiness lest we become useless, and be cast out and trampled underfoot.

A good biblical example from the old testament is in 2Kings 2:19. Then the men of the city said to Elisha, "Behold now, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful. 20 And he said, "Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it." So they brought it to him. 21 And he went out to the spring of water, and threw salt in it and said, "Thus says the LORD, 'I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.'" 22 So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.
So in the case of Elisha’s purifying action, salt was not the cause of the miracle that took place. It should be viewed as a spiritual symbol that represents God’s purifying power. When Jesus says that the Christians are the salt of the earth, it doesn’t mean that we have anything special in ourselves that makes us to be like salt. It is Christ in us that makes us to be what we are. And if we are the salt of the earth, it is only because God’s power is at work in us to make us to be salt. Without God in us, we wouldn’t be anything. It is all of God’s grace that we are what we are.

Q.1 Is it confusing to Christians being referred to as salt of the earth?
Q.2 What was the effectiveness of salt that Jesus spoke of in those days?
Q.3 Do you believe this description is applicable in our world today?
Q.4 How does one go about becoming salt of the earth in such a vaporous society today?
Q.5 Does there always seem to be a need for personal fulfillment in order for one to attend to Christian activity? such as going to church, praying to God, serving others,
Q.6 Why are we not able to do this as a matter of personal righteousness
Q.7 Does this phrase fit the golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?

                                                                                                                                                 Pg.2
Mat 5:14  "You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.
Mat 5:15  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.
Mat 5:16  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

The doctrines which the apostles were commissioned to preach, are not to be hid or concealed from men: They are there and are maintained to declare the whole counsel of God, and shall be fortified so as not to hide from the reproaches and persecutions of men. They are to be "made a spectacle, and maintained"; to be set as in a public theatre, as an attraction, to be seen by "the world, angels, and all men", to draw men to the word of God.

As the lights of the world, we are intended to illuminate and give light to others. Christ has lighted these candles, they shall not be put under a bushel, not confined, as they are now, to the cities of Galilee, or the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but our light shall be sent into all the world. The churches are the candlesticks, in which these lights are placed, that their light may be diffused; and the gospel is so strong a light, and carries with it so much of its own evidence, that, like a city on a hill, it cannot be hid. It is clear to all those who do not willfully shut their eyes against it. It will give light to all that are in the house, to all that will draw near to it, and come where it is. For what end our light must shine - “That those who see your good works may be brought, not to glorify you but to glorify your Father which is in heaven.”

Christ has lighted the candle of the everlasting Gospel, and given gifts to men for the ministration of it, not to be concealed and neglected, or to be misused as the servant did his lord's money, wrap it up in a napkin, and hide it in the earth. Ministers are not, through slothfulness, to neglect the gift that is in them; nor, through fear, to hide their talents, or keep back any part of the Gospel from anyone at any time for any purpose. As light is held high on a lamp stand, so must the Gospel shine through us so as to be a help in understanding God’s purpose in the life of all, so that all may be enlightened, and that none remain in darkness regarding the word of God, the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, their savior.

Q.1 What is the first thing needed to find objects lost?
Q.2 The “City on a hill” has at least three additional connotations, what do you think they are?
Q.3 And what is meant by putting your light under a bushel?
Q.4 Who needs to have this light?
Q.5 Who or What is meant by putting it on “a stand”?
Q.6 Who then should it be, looking for the lost?
Q.7 And where is it that one should be looking?
Q.8 Should we the enlightened then shy away from the Joy of sharing this blessing with others?







                                                                                                                                                 Pg.3
Mat 5:17  "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.
Mat 5:18  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.
Our Savior was just entering on his work. It was important for him to state what he came to do. By his setting up to be a teacher in opposition to the scribes and Pharisees, some might charge him with an intention to destroy their law; To deny their divine authority; To set people free from the obligation to obey them. “The law.” The five books of Moses called the law. And to abolish the customs of the nation. Throughout His ministry, Jesus violated many of The Pharisees oral laws. He broke their Sabbath laws by healing people, and gleaning corn to eat (Luke 13:14, Matthew 12:1-2). He forgave peoples' sins, which to the Pharisees was blasphemy (Luke 5:21). He also freely criticized the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and self righteousness (Luke 11:37-52).
Christ commands nothing now which was forbidden either by the law of nature or the moral law, nor forbids any thing which those laws had enjoined; it is a great mistake to think he does, and he takes this opportunity to rectify the possibility of a misunderstanding. “I am not come to destroy”
The Savior of our souls is the destroyer of nothing but the works of the devil, of nothing that comes from God, much less of those excellent dictates which we have from Moses and the prophets. The word of the Lord endures for ever, both that of the law, and that of the gospel.

What is it that God is doing in all the operations both of providence and grace, but fulfilling the scripture? Heaven and earth shall come together, and all shall be ruin and confusion, rather than any word of God be in vain. The word of the Lord endures for ever, both that of the law, and that of the gospel. Observe, The care of God concerning his law extends itself even to those things that seem to be of least account in it, the iotas and the tittles; for whatever belongs to God, and bears his stamp, be it ever so little, shall be preserved.

Q.1 What restrictive laws had Jesus already opposed by this time?
Q.2 What were the acts that Jesus did that caused his enemies to criticize him?
Q.3 What was Jesus’ response to the Pharisees criticizing him?  See Matt. 23:13-29
Q.4 Not everyone who was a Pharisee was a hypocrite, who comes to mind?(John 3: 1-21).
Q.5 Do we have problems today that involve conflict between the church and the state?
Q.6 What did Jesus mean by  saying “not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will       by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished”.
Q.7 What is Jesus emphasizing by saying “, until heaven and earth disappear,”

In  Mark 7 that is where Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and Scribes. He tells them they are worshiping in vain. He says they honor him with their lips but their heart is far from HIM. They follow traditional teaching of doctrines, the way man perceives it. But Jesus makes it clear, what defiles man comes out of heart. Notice the things he mentions: evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness, Jesus shows the things that will defile man always comes from the heart. The good news is all sins are forgiven if we repent, and we have faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, walking in righteousness.
                                                                                                                                                                 Pg.4

Mat 5:19  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.

It is a dangerous thing, in doctrine or practice, to make ineffective the least of God's commands; or to weaken them in any way. And to determine to reason by either definition or common consent to alter or annul even one of them. Whoever does so, will find it is at his peril. Thus to vacate any of the Ten Commandments, is too bold a stroke for the jealous God to pass by. It is something more than transgressing the law, it is making void the law, and Jesus is saying he is there to make a fulfillment of it all. And he further warns even that such corruptions as they spread by their teachings, the worse offence they are committing. It is impudence enough to break the command, but it is a greater offence to teach men so. This plainly refers to those who at this time sat in Moses' seat, and by their comments corrupted and perverted the text. (The Scribes and Pharisees and the teachers of the law)

But, on the other hand, Those are truly honorable, and of great account in the church of Christ, who lay out themselves by their life and doctrine to promote the purity and strictness of practical religion; who both do and teach that which is good; for those who do not as they teach, pull down with one hand what they build up with the other, and give themselves the lie, and tempt men to think that all religion is a delusion; but those who speak from experience, who live up to what they preach, are truly great; they honor God, and God will honor them (1Sa_2:30), and hereafter they shall shine as the stars in the kingdom of our Father

In  Mark 7 that is where Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and Scribes. He tells them they are worshiping in vain. He says they honor him with their lips but their heart is far from HIM. They follow traditional teaching of doctrines, the way man perceives it. But Jesus makes it clear, what defiles man comes out of heart. Notice the things he mentions: evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness, Jesus shows the things that will defile man always comes from the heart. The good news is all sins are forgiven if we repent, and we have faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, walking in righteousness.

Q.1 Setting aside commands, are there some  that we have set aside in our society today?
Q.2 What does it mean to be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven?
Q.3 What is meant by Whoever practices and teaches these commands?
Q.4 What do we think would define “Great in The Kingdom of Heaven”?
Q.5 Read Matt. 16:27 and Romans 2:6 and give an explaination.









Deut. 5:7-21 The Ten Commandments: 1)I am the Lord, your God. 2)Thou shall bring no false idols before me. 3)Do not take the name of the Lord in vain. 4)Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. 5)Honor thy father and thy mother. 6)Thou shall not kill/murder†. 7)Thou shall not commit adultery. 8)Thou shall not steal.  9)Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor 10)Thou shall not covet‡ your neighbor's wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor)
The Ten Commandments
1. I am the Lord, your God.
2. Thou shall bring no false idols before me.
3. Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
5. Honor thy father and thy mother.
6. Thou shall not kill/murder†.
7. Thou shall not commit adultery.
8. Thou shall not steal††.
9. Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
10. Thou shall not covet‡ your neighbor's wife (or anything that belongs to your neighbor).










Mat 5:20  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.
Our Lord Jesus here tells his disciples, that the religion he came to establish, did not only exclude the badness, but surpass the goodness, of the scribes and Pharisees. We must do more than they, and better than they, or we shall come short of heaven. They were partial in the law, and laid most stress upon the ritual part of it; but we must be universal, and not think it enough to give the priest his tithe, but must give God our hearts. They minded only the outside, but we must be ever mindful of inside godliness. They aimed at the praise and applause of men, but we must aim at acceptance with God: they were proud of what they did in religion, and trusted to it as a righteousness; but we, when we have done all, must deny ourselves, and say, We are unprofitable servants, and trust only to the righteousness of Christ; and thus we may go beyond the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.
1. Whose brand of righteousness does Jesus insult?

2. What matters of the law did they overlook in their quest for righteousness?

3. What “loophole” did they come up with regarding their parents in Matthew 15?

4. Did Jesus find fault with the fact that they tithed everything strictly according to the Law?

5. What does Jesus mean when he tells his followers to be the salt of the earth?

6. What does it mean to be the light of the world?

7. How were the Pharisees failing in these ways?
•Christians should reflect the light of Christ in the world ab •They must add savor to a world that is o
8. Did Jesus destroy the Law of Moses on the cross? Why or why not?
out them and illuminate sin that it might be eclipsed by repentance and grace.
9. How can one generally distinguish a person trying to exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees?

10. What are the fruits of the Spirit?
•
11. Were the Pharisees and scribes condemned because they worked hard to keep the law as perfectly as they could?
They were as heartless as those who knew not God and covered up many sins rather than expose them.