Continuing his focus on the Sermon on the Mount, last Sunday (9/14) Liam Goligher preached on Matthew 5:3-16, in "Light Up the World." 

We look at two phrases that are very well known in Christian circles but are often taken out of context.

  • "You are the salt of the earth."
  • "You are the light of the world."

Jesus is preaching this sermon up on a mountain, and he takes on himself an authority that overwhelms the authority of the last great prophet that gave words from a mountain: Moses. Jesus is the prophet that Moses predicted would come.

Much of the background to the Beatitudes comes from the book of Isaiah. Isaiah helps us to understand what's going on in this passage. Isaiah introduces the Messiah that is to come as a divine human king. He describes the Messiah as the "new Israel," a figure who will save Israel from her exile and bring her into glorious freedom. Isaiah describes this figure as a suffering servant who is punished in our place, takes our guilt, and wins our salvation. And finally, Isaiah describes the Messiah as the great prophet of our God.

In Matthew 5 Jesus describes what the grace of God can make of us and what the blessing of God can do for us. We're going to ask three questions of this passage today:

  • What is the inheritance of God's people?
  • What is the experience of God's people?
  • What is the influence of God's people?

You can stream, download, or listen to "Light Up the World" in our Resource Library.

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