Have your bibles. I want you to turn with me to Matthew chapter five. We're gonna read 15 through 16. But before I begin, there's some a couple of things I wanna make an announcements that, we are gonna be leaving out tomorrow morning at 10:00, and I'm asking everybody to be here that are gonna be going to camp, please be here by nine. And, just to be mindful of that.

And, also if just be mindful of that. But my message that I'm gonna be preaching on is gonna be salt and light. And they're two different, two different subjects, but yet as as I bring it out, I wanna try to tie them together, and I want you to understand something. When I tie it together, I wanna bring out that, yes, we're talking about salt and light, and and salt is salt has many properties. It has many different different things that you can use salt for.

One is daily consumption. We use it every day. We eat it. We use it in our food. We need it in our daily, life.

We use it for animals. We use it for I mean it has a lot of different things that we use it for. There's, we can use it for preserving. We can use it cauterizing. We can use it for, as a seasoning.

And, yes, there are a lot of different things that we can use salt and light or salt for. And and light is a different subject, but light is also a, it is is how we live our lives and and is how we project ourselves on other people. We are to be the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ and and the salt is also to be the gospel of Jesus Christ. And this and I guess if there's any way I could tie them together, that is the only way I know how to tie them together. And but it and they all the the different different things that they we're gonna look at two different things that the light can do and and that the salt can do as we read our scriptures today.

And and in this passage of scripture, we see Matthew, Matthew chapter five. This was given as Jesus was given the Sermon on the Mount, and and this passage of scripture was, when he was here on this earth. This is the most famous, message that Jesus ever proclaimed to his people when he was here on this earth. And, you know, this starts out the beatitudes. I don't know if you know the Sermon on the Mount.

It talks about blessed is the man. It goes through about 10 different things. And in the in the beginning of this chapter here, then he gets in talking about the salt and light. But as I begin, let's pray and we're gonna and we'll dive into this and we'll begin to read and we'll see how God works. Lord, I thank you for this day.

Thank you for the time that you've given us, Lord. I just pray that you would hide me behind your cross, Lord, and that you would have a message that you'd want them to hear. And, Lord, I pray that you allow them to speak to our hearts. Thank you for what you're doing now. In Jesus name, I pray.

Amen. And as as we begin in verse five or chapter five verse 13 through 16, it says, Ye are the salt of the earth, but the salt has lost its savor, wherewith shall the salt be salted. It is henceforth good for nothing, but be cast out and to be trodden under foot of man. Ye are this verse 14. Yeah.

Ye are the light of the world and and the city that is set upon the hill that cannot be hidden. Neither do any man or neither do any men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick and giveth light to all that are in the house. Verse 16, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. And you see, this is the passage of scripture as Jesus was pronouncing the gospel of Jesus as He was pronouncing the gospel to His people, He was telling them that we are the salt. And as we see that in this passage of scripture, we are the salt of this world.

Now I talked a little bit about the different things that salt has and that we do or that salt can do, we can cook with it. We it is something that we consume every day in our lives. It is something that, it can not only is it it can also be bitter to take. And you don't wanna have it just amongst itself. And and and, yes, salt is has a lot of properties.

It has a lot of uses just as we are to be the salt of this earth. And I want you to see in verse 13, it says, we are the salt of the earth. And when I say that we are the salt of the earth, we are the salt. We are the salt that we are to be amongst the lost world. Sometimes we it it it's when I say that we're to be the salt, sometimes salt can rub us the wrong way, and we may not like the fact that it rubs us the wrong way.

It irritates us. It it brings us it it hurts. If you have an open wound, you pour it in that wound, it it it burns. And you see, just as salt here, we are to be that salt as the Bible says. We are to be the salt of this earth.

And not only is it salt of this earth, but it is also the salt of it can also is good for peace. Salt is good for peace in Mark chapter nine verse 50. It says that here in Mark chapter nine verse 50, it says that salt is also good for peace. When I say that it's good for peace, it is a good yes, we can put it in that food. And it and yes, it becomes a flavoring.

It is it's something that's desirable to have. And it's something that we want. It is something that we want to put in our eggs. It's something that we want to put in all our food. I sit and I watched, you know, I've I've been out to eat a lot with a lot of different people.

And it's funny to watch when they get their food, they'll grab for that salt shaker. And as they take that salt shaker and they shake it all over their food. Why? Because they want their food to be flavorful and it's desirable to have. And here, this is a passage of scripture in fifth Mark chapter nine verse 50.

It says, salt is good. And it says, but the salt has lost its say saltiness. Wherewith shall we season it? Look at this latter part of this passage of scripture. It says, have salt in yourselves and have peace with one another.

You see, what salt does, it becomes desirable in our lives. It becomes something that it that salt does. It is good for some for consumption. It is good to for the food that we put it on. It is it comes it comes it adds flavor to our food.

And yet, the same hand, it also it is desirable in our lives because it it we are to have that peace of God in our lives. If that peace of God is not being demonstrated in our lives, why isn't it as a believer? And here we see that is desirable. Then also it says salt should be also in our speech. It should be the part of our speech in Colossians chapter four verse six.

The when it says there in Colossians chapter four verse six, it says that it's a desirable in our speech. It it it we should have a season with salt. Let your speech always be with grace. Season with salt that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. That word seasoned with salt is talking about how we should have the Word of God, we should have it memorized in our minds.

And when we're talking to lost people, it should just flow right through us, and it should be become part of our speech. And as it becomes part of our speech, it becomes desirable for them to have. And as it becomes desirable for them to have, it is the gospel of Jesus Christ in what we're sharing with them. And we see the gospel of Jesus Christ being shared with them, you see we begin to reach the lost people for the world. We are living in a very dark world.

And when I say that we're living in a dark world, sin is a darkness that ravaged and has taken over everything. And they're living in sin, the Bible says. And when they're living in sin, it is a darkness. And as we see that this is a seasoning that we have, that we as Christians, we have the peace of God. We have the the it should be seasoned with salt.

And as we season with salt, we allow the word of God to flow through us. And as we allow the word of God flow through us, then we are also, that salt can lose its salting us by becoming a fool. Romans chapter one verse 22. When I say salt can lose its savor, When I say that salt can lose its savor, then in in Matthew chapter three, Matthew chapter 13, it talks about how it is trodden down and it's no more desirable to have. And, yes, salt can lose its savor.

Lost salt can have no taste. And, yes, salt does not be desirable that you will wanna put it in your food anymore. And yes, as a church, we can lose our sight of who God is and what God is doing and what God wants to do through us as a church. And here in Romans chapter one verse 22, it says, professing themselves to be wise and becoming a fool. And when when salt loses its savior savor, it no longer is desirable to have, it's no longer wanting to add it to our foods, we so we take it and we throw it out because it's no good.

And here we see that a church can also lose its flavor. It can also lose its, savor. And a church can lose its sight of who God is by becoming professing them to be wise. And professing themselves to be that, you know what? I don't need God anymore in my life.

I don't need God to make my decisions now. I can do it. I don't need God's help. And here, Paul was writing to the Romans church and he was telling them, he's saying, look, he's like, if you're not careful, you can become like the heathen and you become like the heathen in the heathen in the way the heathen live by professing themselves to be wise and leaving God out of it. And Jesus and Paul was telling the church, he's saying, look.

He's like, you can lose sight of who God is. And you can lose sight of what God wants to do. You can lose sight of what God wants to do through you as a church. And as we see this in passage of scripture in Matthew go back with me to chapter 13. We see in Matthew chapter 13 or chapter five verse 13, we see this passage of scripture, we see that Saul, it is a desirable wanting to have, but it's also it it is also a desirable wanting to have, but it is also a preservative.

And it is also something that we can preserve and is also cauterize, salt does. It's all these things that I'm preaching on. And, yes, salt can lose its savor. Churches can lose their savor. Churches can lose the sight of God by leaning upon their own understanding.

The Bible says in Proverbs chapter was it chapter three verses five and six, trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path. You see, the problem that we're having in churches is that we're leaning in our own understanding and still leaning in God. And when I say that we're leaning in our own understanding, we have lost sight of what God wants and what He wants to do through us. And we have lost sight of who God is as a church.

And we see this in passage of scripture. Then I also want you to see verse 14 of Matthew. It says that we are the light of the world. The Bible says that we are the light of the world. Where does this light come from that we're talking about?

You have to understand something. When Jesus Christ saved us, He saved us out of the darkness. He saved us out of the pitch black. And yet, where does this light come from? We see that in the passage of scripture.

You don't have to turn there, but I have it written in my notes here. It says that that Jesus Christ is the light of men. In John chapter one through one and verse four. When I say that He is the light of men, He is the He is the light of men. He is the one that gives us light.

Just as the moon shines the darkness, it gets its light from the sun. We are to be the example of Jesus Christ by shining the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ through us. He is the light of the world, the Bible Bible says. He is the light of men. And it seem, he has it up there.

In him was life and the life was the light of men. He gave us eternal life the moment we trusted in Jesus Christ. And when I said that he gave us eternal life, he gave us eternal life forever to dwell with him in heaven. And in return, he gave us eternal life. He also gave us the light.

Go with me back to verse 13 verse 14 of Matthew. It says in Matthew here, verse 15 Verse 14. Sorry. Verse 14. Ye are the light of the world and as a city set upon a hill that cannot be hid.

When it says there that as a city, it's set up on a hill that cannot be hid. I picture it as a city in a pitch black at night. You can see it off from a distance because it's given its light. What does that city should look like? It's a city of hope.

It's a city of a beacon of a hope. Just as a just as a, you're out on the water, and they have these what they call lighthouses. And the reason why they have those lighthouses is to warn the ships so not to come near where that light is shining. Just as that city sitting up on a hill, it is something that is a beacon of hope. It is something that should be shining forever.

It is something that we are examples of Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ did in our lives. And you see, as a church, we should be a beacon of hope for this lost community. And we should be a beacon of hope right here in your own homes. And as as a city that sits up on a hill, yes, we are in a very dark world because of sin. And as we are in a very dark world, yes, we are a beacon of hope to the lost world.

And you know what's what's really hard? What's really hard? Knowing that you're a Christian and you're working around a bunch of lost men. Knowing that they're talking about you. It's really hard.

And yet, we are a beacon of hope, the Bible says. And they're watching everything that you do, everything that you say. And yet, we are that beacon of hope, a city that sits upon a hill. And yes, we see that we are the light of the world. First John chapter five verse one verse five, chapter one verse five, it says first John chapter one verse five, it says, that Christ is the light.

It says there, this is the message of which you had heard of, you know, that that declared unto you that the Lord is God is the light and in Him there is no darkness. In Him there is no darkness. He is the light that shineth through us because there is no darkness in Him. Then it says in verse 15, it says Matthew chapter five, it says, we are the light in our own house. This one's a really hard one.

This is a really hard one. We're a light in our own house. If you're in here and you know Jesus Christ and you come from a broken home that do not go to church, they know your weaknesses and they know everything about you. As a dad coming from a home, my wife knows all my weaknesses, And then she knows all my flaws. And yet the Bible says that we are the light of the home.

And when I say that we're the light of the house, it shines within the house and they know everything about you. If we want to see revival within our own home, if we want to see revival in our own church, it starts in the home. When I say it starts within the home, your parents, your mom or dad, or your you set the stage within your own home. And mom or dad, you set the stage in your own home. If we wanna see a revival to break out in our own house, it starts right there.

In fact, in Jerusalem, in in in Acts I don't I'm not turning there. It talks about how when revival broke out the day of, the Pentecost, they they started within. Talks about how they went into Samaria, Judea, and Jerusalem, and it talks about how they went out from there. You know why it started in Samaria? That's where they were from.

If we are going to be a light in a church in a dark world, it starts right here. It doesn't go it doesn't start out there. It starts right here. If we want God to use us as a church and we want God to use us as a in in in a church that want see God to do something, it starts right here. And as we see as a church, it says here, it we see that it starts within our own houses.

And when I said that it starts within our own houses, John chapter, I think it was I just got it down in my notes. I you don't have to turn there. John chapter four verses, I think, 53. I got it. It talks about how the man came to Jesus and wanted Jesus to heal his son.

And as he came to Jesus, wanted to heal to heal his son, he he came to Jesus and Jesus told him, he said, thy son liveth today. And it says, the whole house believed. Do you see the faith the man that had in Jesus that Jesus could heal his son by by the man coming to Jesus wanting Jesus to do something in his life? He had a hunger for Jesus to do something. He wanted Jesus to do something.

And how he wanted Jesus to change his life. And yet Jesus told him, he's like, Go. Your son liveth. And the Bible says, The whole house believed. The whole house.

Oh, do we have a hunger for Jesus Christ now? Do we have a desire to know who He is and what He has done in our lives? Do do we have a desire to what for Jesus to do something to in our lives to change our lives just as this man here did? And you see, here we're we're the light of this world. And as we are to to be the light within our own houses, we are to be shining forth the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And as we are to be shining forth the gospel of Jesus Christ, we are to proclaim what He has done in our lives. And as we are to proclaim what He has done in our lives, we are to to it doesn't matter what what they may say, it doesn't matter what they may do. What matters to you is what Jesus has done in our lives. As we see here in this passage of scripture is verse 15, it says that we are the light in our own houses. And you know something, it's hard because your family knows your weaknesses and your family knows where you stand.

It's hard. But my question is, do you have a desire to see God do something? That's my question here today. And we see that in this passage of scripture go with me to verse 16 of Matthew. And, we are the light of the world.

Let your light shine before men. Verse 16. And yes, we are the light of the world. Not only does it start in our own homes, once it starts in our own homes, it spreads from there and it goes out. Look at it.

It says, let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heaven. Once it starts in our own homes, it goes from our own homes, it works its way out into the rest of the world. You see, I think the churches have failed to equip us how to witness. Our churches have failed to equip us to going out and sharing the gospel. Our church is the prime example.

Yet we're too busy with politics. We're too busy with money. We're too busy with work. We're too busy with all these things that hinder us from doing the work of God. Or should I say, we let it do it.

And yet, as we see this here, it it is something that it it is something that is desirable within our hearts and lives, and we want something to that God can do in our lives. And and, yes, we can lose sight of all that by work. And as we see that we it is desirable to have because we are the salt, and we are representing the light of the gospel. We have a great heritage that hadn't been handed down to us. When I say it's a great heritage, it's been a great heritage that has been handed down to us.

We've there are people have died on this, at the crosses. There have been people that died at the stake by burning to death. We dipped in oil. John was dipped in oil, left to dead on on Isle Of Patmos. We have a great heritage that has been handed down to us.

And what is it what are we doing with it? What are we sharing? What are we sharing? What are we telling our own families? And how are we telling our own families what Christ has done?

And here we see that this heritage that has been handed down to us, it is a light that Jesus Christ has changed our lives and how he's changed you and me and and how we have a should have a desire to know him more and more and more. It should never grow old. Because we are we are to let our lights to shine before men and see our and glorify him. I have some other verses here. I want you to see here.

It says here that we are to put on the light of the armor, armor of light. Romans chapter 15 verse 12, it says there that we are to put on the armor of light. When I said that we are to put on armor of light, we are to take and we are literally to robe ourselves with the armor of light. Look at this verse. Is that the one I'm looking at?

I might have read that. I think I wrote that down wrong. I got the wrong verse on that one. Sorry about that. But it is talking about here that we are to robe ourselves with the light.

And how we're to robe ourselves with the light, we are to surrender to his will. We are to surrender what He wants out of our lives. And as we are to surrender to Him, then God will have His way through us. It's just simply by surrendering. And as we surrender our lives to Him, we are too saying, God, here God, use me.

I don't care what the what matters, all I want is you to be use me. So oftentimes we have in churches that people that are doing the work of God when I say that we're doing the work of God, but they've never really came to that realization of surrendering to him. When I say that they never really came to the realization of surrendering to him and letting having his will, back in Romans chapter one, it talks about how we became wise, that we became fools. And, yes, we are we are to surrender ourselves to him and we are to robe ourselves with him in the light of his goodness. Then we are to walk in Ephesians chapter five verses eight.

It says that we are to walk in his light, Ephesians chapter five verse eight. When I say that we are to walk in His light, I'm talking about it is a daily walk with Him. It is something that we surrender to Him and to say, okay, God. I don't care what's happened. I don't care what may, I don't care what may come my way.

All I want is your will in my life. And it says here it says, for we sometimes in darkness, but now we're in the light in the Lord. Walk as children of light. When it says there that we are to walk in His will, we are to walk in what? In the ways that God wants us to walk.

And yes, it may be something that you don't like. And yes, it may be something you don't agree with. It doesn't matter. God wants us to walk in Him. God wants us to walk in the way He wants us to walk.

And here, we are as Christians, if we profess to know Jesus Christ, it should be a desire to know what He wants in our lives. And as we should have desire to know what He wants, we should be seeking His word, we should be praying, we should be on our knees before Him and seeking His will for our lives. And as we are seeking His will for our lives, we should be walking that walk in the light because we are taking his robe and we are roping ourselves with him. We are the beacon of hope. And, yes, you know where it starts at?

It starts within the home. The changed. It starts within the home. It starts starts right here. And as we see that we are the salt and we are the light of this world and we are the salt, when I say that we are the salt and light, we are to live accordingly to His word.

When I say that we are to live accordingly to His word, that's being obedience. That's being obedient to what He wants in our lives. This every head bowed, every eye closed. If the Lord has spoken to your heart and if He has dealt with you, there is an altar up here, and you can come and get right with God. And if He has dealt with you and showed you that you're lost and you need Him, come talk to me.

Talk to somebody else in the church that you feel comfortable going up to. Get it right. But as I pray, we will have an invitation. I'll ask y'all to stand, please. Go ahead, Stand.