Matthew chapters 5,6 and 7 are the manifest of the Kingdom of God. Jesus is explaining the culture of His kingdom.
Matthew 5:13-16
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
We can’t be mixed with the world. That is salt that has “lost his savour”.
Salt purifies
Salt preserves
Salt promotes flavor
In the day that Jesus was speaking these words, salt had great value.
The word “salary” comes from a latin word that means “salt money”.
James 1: 27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
If your heart is pure, these are the characteristics you will see.
Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
The first step into God’s presence is to receive the redemption that comes through believing in the finished work of Jesus. We are purified by the blood of Jesus.
Because salt purifies, it can also irritate. The world can sometimes be irritated by a born again believer who is living by a standard of righteousness.
God made man in His own image. Because of this, Satan has hated man from the beginning. The enemy wants to take us as far away from God as he can get us to go.
The Word of God transforms us and gives us the ability to live in away that we weren’t able to before we had the Holy Spirit. When we are transformed, our lives bring God glory and we are advancing His kingdom in earth. God can’t have the kingdom of God and not have the will of God.
John 17:14-17
I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
We can’t allow our minds to accept thoughts that go against the Word of God. Just because a thought comes into your head, it doesn’t mean you have to accept it. Test it against the Word of God. If it conflicts , cast it down.
The Word of God makes us “not of the world”. It is what sanctifies us. The world and the Word are in opposition to each other.
In Matthew 13:24-58 Jesus is giving all these parables that represent the Kingdom of God. There is always good seed and bad seed. Both had their own impact.
You never know the impact you can make on someone’s life with the good seed God has given you.
We aren’t supposed to cast judgment and decide if someone’s heart is good ground. We are simply supposed to sow good seed all the time, and trust that God will yield the harvest.
The assignment we have been given to out and sow good seed is the exact same assignment that the kingdom of darkness has been given. Only they are trying to sow bad seed. If we never go out and make an impact on society then we leave the enemy all the territory. Darkness is making the most of every platform to sow evil seed (tv, music, social media, etc..). We can’t stand silent. We have to aggressively plant the seed of God’s word. We are ambassadors of God’s kingdom.
God’s Word has been guaranteed to never return void.