Salt, Light, & Glory - Part III

Moving into Part II of our mini-series last week, we focused our time together on the final verse in Christ’s sayings on being salt & light. That is, we are to live in such a way, that when we go about exercising the contents of our redeemed hearts, with word and action, the people in our life see it, and God is glorified by them.

The driving force behind every aspect of our entire life, be it word or deed, is to be for nothing but the glory of God. Every hobby, behavior, vote, penny, and relationship, is to be arranged, spent, used, and enjoyed for the ultimate goal of heaping honor and praise upon the source of all life, Jesus Christ.

With two ‘points of caution’ we saw that living this way does two things. First, it costs us. Friend- and relationships are changed, for the better or worse. Families are built or broken. Careers shrink and grow, and hobbies are either willingly abandoned, or poured into with new vigor. All of which, no matter how our lives are changed, are in direct proportion to the providence of He who orders the steps of the righteous (Ps. 37:23).

The second thing that happens to a life lived for the glory of God, is being set apart. We are the outliers, the troublemakers, the dissenters, the different. We think, act, and live wholly different lives perpendicular to those around us, thanking Him for the intersection, regardless of how long or short it may be.

Finally, the text called us to action as we looked at Christ’s “High Priestly Prayer” in Jn. 17:14-19. When He says that we are sent into the World for the same reasons that The Father sent The Son, we take comfort in our failings, and humility in our successes. Just as He sent The Son to bear witness of the truth and preach the Kingdom of God, so The Son sends us. Just as He sent The Son to do His will and glorify Him, so The Son sends us. And we do this, by being salt & light within every context His providence finds us.

Reading: Matthew 5:13-16 & Opening Prayer

Moving into the third part of our series on these verses, we will be discussing the actual metaphors that Christ uses; “Salt” and “Light”. Before we go any further however, and going slightly off-track, we need to understand why He used metaphors to begin with. 

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There are numerous ways that our desire to be like God (Gen. 3:5) is able to be seen and examined. We have spoken on this before, but to refresh our memory; what jumps to the forefront of our mind when we speak of man wanting to be God? The “low hanging fruit” examples of our desire to be the final say over what love looks like, or what is moral or otherwise. However, because it is the nature of sin to grow and spread, this desire manifests in far more subversive and ubiquitous ways.

If we believe that the deepest desire of the unredeemed heart is to be like God, we should do all we can to understand His character and nature. In other words: “What do we know about God, and how does our sinful nature prompt us to try and replace Him in those aspects?”

We know that God is omnipotent (all-powerful) (Jer. 32:17); so when we see a desire in ourselves to exercise unstoppable strength in our life, thinking that if we just work or try harder everything will “fall into place”; we can identify that as an attempt to be like God in relation to His omnipotence.

We know that God is eternally self-existent, needing nothing outside of Himself (the aseity of God) (Ex.3:14); so when we see ourselves rejecting help from others, thinking that we can “do it on our own”; we can identify it as an attempt to be like God in relation to His aseity. 

We know that God is immutable (never changing) (Mal. 3:6; Jm. 1:17; Heb. 13:8); so when we see ourselves refusing to spiritually or mentally grow; making our mind up and refusing to ever change it; we can identify it as an attempt to be like God in relation to His immutability. 

We could verily easily continue along this line of thinking, across all of God’s attributes, and provide examples along the way, and in fact…we should.

Everytime we sin; be it an old favorite, one we thought had been sanctified out of us, a new one previously unseen in our life, or an old one come out in a new way; everytime we sin we should look at the character and nature of God to identify it and thereby empower us, to kill it.

Sin is sneaky, brothers and sisters. It either hides between our thoughts, laying dormant and ready to strike at the perfect opportunity; churns as a raging river through our life, knocking loose the stones from the embankments we have built; or drowns us in floods of self-pleasure and self-reliability. Always changing shape to suit your circumstances, your sin will do everything it can to urge you to partake, in old or new ways.

All of our sin is born from our desire to be God,

and if we don't know what God is like,

our sin remains hidden and powerful.

In respect to our verses this morning (and…perhaps it came to the surface already while we went through those examples) Christ used a metaphor to expose our desire to be God in relation to His omniscience, His “all-knowing-ness”.

There is no piece of information unknown to Him, and no extenuating circumstance He failed to consider; He knows everything (1 Jn. 3:20). And to take this to a deeper level; because God knows everything, it means that He can't learn. If He could, it would mean there was something ahead of time that He didn't already have perfect knowledge of. The 1689 LBCF says it this way: “His knowledge is infinite and infallible. It does not depend upon any creature, so for him nothing is contingent or uncertain.” (LBCF ch.2 p.2)

Can you identify, in yourself, ways in which your sin has manifested against God in relation to this? Did it show its ugly face already in our Sermon this morning?

You see, whenever we hear of a truth of God; any unmoving claim of Scripture; because God made us to know Him and enjoy Him forever (Eph. 1:1-11; Is. 43:6-7); we can not help but to look and question and debate and argue until we find Him. It's how we were made. You have heard from this Pulpit numerous times that God did not create “blank slates”. Within the womb of every mother, He built thinking, reasoning, arguing, growing, learning image bearers of Himself. He designed us to question and to come to conclusions.

However, the Fall has corrupted that aspect of us to the point that, though it still remains part of our nature…we now want to look for ourselves instead of Him (Is. 53:6). If our hearts remain in the state they were born in, and throughout the sanctification process of our new hearts, we question the long written down words…not to find God, but to be God. We read ourselves into the text, assuming that the only thing that matters about this or that verse, is what it means to me, or how it applies to me. 

Knowing that the words are true and hating that we know it, we look for any “wiggle room”; any loopholes; any opportunity to debate and argue and prove that we know everything. 

When our dead hearts first read that Christ is the only way into Heaven (Jn. 14:6), we questioned and fought it. We rejected it with one hand, while piling up mounds of filthy rags as evidence why it doesn't really mean what it says, with the other hand.

When we first read that our sins have earned us Hell (Rom. 6:23), we ignored the second half of that verse…because we used our thoughts, our thinking, and our way to come to conclusions about reality, based on our perception of it.

All of which is nothing but trying to be God

in relation to His omniscience.

Now, to draw a fine line between two errors, before moving into verses proper.

One of the errors is what I just described. Question everything, continually, until it all makes sense according to your own thoughts and way of thinking. Use yourself as your own litmus test; ignore the noetic effects of sin - our thought process being corrupted (Eph. 4:17&18); ignore 2,000yrs of faithful exegesis (how Scripture is studied) from the giants of the faith; and never stop questioning until the day you die…and hope you found the right answers, if you found any at all.

The other, is the equal but opposite error of trying to be like God in relation to His sovereignty. Hating that God has all authority (Mt. 28:18), those who fall to this side of the line express their desire to be like Him by asserting that questions in and of themselves are inherently sinful. They will say things like:

“Don’t question God; don't question The Bible; don't question the Church; don't think for yourself…just shut up and believe.”

And the truth between these errors, like all truth, is found in Scripture.

Malachi 3:16 → “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of remembrance was written before Him, for those who fear the Lord and who meditate on His name.” (emphasis - mine)

God hears us wrestling over Scripture, brothers and sisters, asking hard questions and debating until we find the truth. In fact…He takes note of the names of those who do such a thing. To quote G.K. Chesterton: “Merely having an open mind is nothing. The object of opening the mind, as of opening the mouth, is to shut it again on something solid.”

Do you remember where sin always starts? In the heart (Mt. 15:19). Do you, in the depths of your redeemed heart (if in fact you have repented of your sins and believed in Him), ask so many questions to find God? Or to find yourself? Because the only way you can find yourself is if you find God…first. 

And in our verses this morning, Christ used a metaphor to expose the fallen heart’s desire to be God, in relation to His omniscience. 

He gave words a different meaning than that which the culture attaches to them, displaying that His sovereignty extends over nouns and adjectives as thoroughly as it extends over nations and peoples. And in so doing, as He did with all of His parables, illustrations, and metaphors; He is pressing the “pause” button in our thoughts, causing us to slow down. To think. To wonder. To debate and ask, and to grow.

And, this is something He did all through His ministry. In Matthew 13:31 & 32 He says → “...“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, [32]which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

So, what do we know about seeds? They grow. What do we know about mustard seeds? They're small. He is saying that just like a tiny seed grows into a massive tree, so the Kingdom of Heaven is going to grow.

In Matthew 12:27-29 He says → “And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. [28] But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. [29] Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” Comparing Satan to a strong man who keeps his goods under lock and key, Christ is telling people that He is going to bind the strong man, and plunder from him those who were under his control.

I picked those two to give us a preview of next week; and we could continue through numerous others to help us grow in our understanding of Him; but…what about our Verses today? Why salt and light?

Before we answer however, the more important question is…why do you want to know? Are we asking out of a desire to be better transformed into the image of The Son? Do you want to know more and more about Him, so earnestly, that the groaning of your hungry heart is what drives your daily time in Scripture?

Are these verses ones that you have read a dozen times before, that never “clicked”, so you settle with what you have heard or learned from this or that speaker, preacher, or author? …do you actually go to other speakers, preachers, or authors to see what they have to say?

Or perhaps you’ve already come to a conclusion about what these metaphors are referring to, at some point in your past that you can't recall right now, so…you read them, say “that's nice” and keep moving.

Are you asking “why salt and light” to look for an opportunity to affirm something you already believed? Either positive or negative; Biblical or fictitious? Will it challenge other Doctrines you might already hold on to (given that Doctrines can’t be built or broken by a single verse)? Furthermore, if it does challenge something else you believe; a Doctrine you have held for such a long time that everything else is seen through it…what will you do? 

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Exposing the need of our fallen hearts to know everything, Christ used the metaphor of salt and light to show the effect that His children have on the world around them. And the world around us, brothers and sisters, is broken and prone to decay. 

From that day in the Garden and onward until He returns, the natural trajectory of the human heart is pointed nowhere but the crimson cliffs of Hell. And lest we pass this off as something we have heard a dozen times, this natural trajectory of the human heart…is why hearts are broken, wives cheat, husbands leave, and children rebel. The posture of the fallen heart is why we see adultery and abortion; homosexual horrors unfolding in our culture; greed in the halls of power; envy, murder, strife, and deceit. 

Every person you have ever met; yourself included; has fallen to the black and rotting power of sin. Were it even possible for someone to be free from any external influence; no parents, friends, or family; Churches, cultures, or nations; and truly formed all of their thoughts and opinions independent from any external input…all of those thoughts and opinions would be ones of self-indulgent, narcissistic, sin-loving, God-hating evil.

Were God not to intervene in the life of an individual, that person would go about exercising their free will to sin in all of the creative and disgusting ways their God-hating heart loves…and then influencing those around them to do the same thing.

The abuse victim would create more victims like herself.

The fatherless son would create a son like himself.

Were God not to intervene; the addiction of the addict would spread like wireless cancer into the souls of those around them; and the demonic sexual practices of the rich and famous would reach beyond the shores of their island, and become culturally acceptable.

Plainly stated; because humans are by nature evil (Rom. 3:23; Jer. 17:9; et al.) this world has nothing to look forward to except days of growing, spreading, rotting, darkness…unless something stalwarts the rot, and pushes back the night.

And in Matthew 5:13-16; the descendant of David, who here and now possesses all authority (Mt. 28:18); Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords; does not give us a challenge to face. He doesn't set the bar of “salt and light” to be a goal only attainable by some super holy saints. No. He says you are salt and light, because He did intervene.

Brothers and sisters, the God of the Universe; Him who holds planets in place with as much ease as He holds hearts; sent His only begotten Son to die for those who hated Him. Those enslaved to their own sin, are those upon whom God bestowed the law-keeping righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ…thereby intervening in their life, and the lives of those He placed them amongst.

We were made holy in the eyes of the God we once hated, independent of our own efforts, willpower, or permission. Wholly unrelated to any amount of good we could ever potentially do, our sin-loving hearts were replaced with ones that now shine out the glittering golden beams of Him who lives there.

And because of this; because The Father put your sins upon The Son (2nd Cor. 5:21), and then killed Him for them (Is. 53:6)...you were made to be innocent of every Hell-deserving sin you have ever committed, and made to be the salt and light that this world so desperately needs. Because of Jesus Christ; who He is, the life He lived, the death He died, and the prayers He now speaks into the ears of His Father…

You are the salt of the Earth.

You are the light of the World.

It is who you already  are.

Give no heed to the level of rot around you, children of God, thinking that it is too dark or too evil for you to combat; because if your salvation wasn't dependent upon you, then the effect it has on others isn't either.

Your past, or even your present, is so dark, vile, and violent, that the clouds of your  shame are only pushed back by engaging in more of the behaviors that caused them to roll to begin with? Good. Because that’s the exact kind of person God saves.

Your loved ones have been plagued by generations of rot that has grown between the very fibers of your family? Good, because God put you into that family, to do what salt does; and work, war, fend off, fight, and break the quickening blight.

Your Nation is splintering at the seams as it fights against the wrath of God it deserves? Good, because God put you into that Nation, to do what light does; and expose the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11).

“But…my sin…it's too dark. How can I fight such evil while I deal with my own!”

Oh you tired Saint, worn down by the everyday cares of life; haunted by a dead past; tormented by a present heart that's prone to wander; and unable to see any future beyond the surging storm clouds that surround you “...if God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect (you)? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom. 8:31-34 - emphasis mine)

You already are salt, and your good deeds work in exponential proportion against the decay around you…because it is God who produces the result from your efforts.

You already are light, and your life lived for the glory of God shines enough to illuminate the entire house…because it is God who produces the results from your efforts.

Brothers and sisters, no matter the depth of darkness in yourself, your family, or your Nation…the smallest light still shines. It may be weak, fragile, and small to such a degree that it quakes in fear of the encroaching night; it may be flickering against the crawling dark with every ounce of energy he has, fighting back his own dragons or the ones beyond to keep the flame alight, and surrounded by both on every side.

And that is all it takes to displace the dark…one small light. 

Is your faith weak? It doesn't matter, because it was enough to save you (Eph. 2:8 &9).

Is your faith fragile? It doesn't matter, because it will never break (Eph. 1:13-19).

Is your faith small? It doesn't matter, because Christ Himself says that “...if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Mt. 17:20)

Were that not enough brothers and sisters, our King has told us, and we believe…that we are not like so many twinkling lights, spread across the black sky, no. We are members of a family transcending time (Gal. 4:5-7); and soldiers in an army across all space (2 Tim. 2:3 & 4). 

When we not only weekly gather with other blood-bought Saints in the pews to our left and right, but actually live life alongside them… when we mourn for their sufferings; rejoice when they succeed; and do all that we can to braid our lives together beyond 60 minutes a week, we are a bright and shining city on a hill that reflects the light of the sun above us, pushing back the dark in one another's lives.

Every single time you open your Bible, reading with eagerness the long written down words of God as you wrestle yourself into submission to those words; every time you eat the bread and drink the cup; every time you love your enemy, feed the hungry, turn the other cheek; every time you act like the person who Christ just described in

The Beatitudes…you are waging holy war against your own sin. And at the same time, through those same means, God is empowering you to tread into the fray of this fallen world, and preserve it as you push back the darkness.

You already are the salt of the Earth.

You already are the light of the World.

So go out there and live like it.

Rev. Jacob Marchitell

February 8th 2026