I've got a lengthy but encouraging piece for you today. . .
A few weeks ago I received my final grade back from the pastor who taught my Gospel of Matthew class. He encouraged me to share my paper with others, so that's what I'm doing today!
Warning, it is an 8 paged paper so it is long in length. However, I am proud of it and it earned me a 294/300 so I was happy with the work I put into it and am excited to share this life change paper with everyone!
-Sarah
-
-
-
-
Similar
to famous people who are remembered for their acts, so a famous sermon is
remembered for the important truth spoken. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus
spends three chapters teaching his disciples and the people in the crowd important
life-changing lessons. Appropriately defined, a disciple is “a person who
follows a leader; a student; one of the 12 men whom Jesus chose; a person who
obeys Jesus today” (Dray. 2004. NP.) These 12 men followed Jesus just about
everywhere he went, so it was fitting that they were present at this particular
time. This event in scripture is referred to as the Sermon on the Mount and is
located within the fifth and seventh chapters in the gospel of Matthew. As far
as important teachings of Jesus go, and explaining how Christians are to live, the
Sermon on the Mount is one of the more famous sermons taught in scripture.
Traveling through Galilee, Jesus
taught all the people and healed all the illnesses he came into contact with
among the synagogues. News spread like crazy throughout Syria and Matthew 4:24
explains that everyone who had a disease, those suffering from pain, the lame
and possessed, all came to him to experience his miraculous healing. After this
occurred, the Decapolis, Judea, Jerusalem, and the region across the Jordan
took haste to stay close to Jesus. Prepared to teach, Jesus made his way up to
a mountainside to sit down with the crowds and his disciples. This was where
the Sermon on the Mount took place.
Within Matthew 5:13-16, Jesus discusses
terms still often used in today’s church culture. “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”
(13.) What could this verse possibly be implying? Anyone who possesses a basic
amount of knowledge of cooking understands the importance of salt within a meal
or dish. Even the most delicate pinch of salt can make a world of difference
within a massive bowl of soup; the same is true about Christians within the
world today.
God calls His children to stand out
and be different in the world. Just as the salt adds taste to a tasteless soup
the follower of Christ should stand out in a world of unbelievers and be a
witness to those around them. As stated in 2 Corinthians 6:17a, “Therefore go
out from their midst, and be separate from them,” Christians are to lead a life
apart from the unbelievers. When Christians choose to lead a life separate from
what others have chosen, their choices reflect who they serve and where their
heart is. When people notice someone living differently than everyone else they
feel inclined to question their intentions to satisfy their curiosity. Living
differently blesses a follower of Christ with an opportunity to share the
benefits that come from living a life that honors and pleases their Heavenly
Father as well as the knowledge that they are pleasing Him with their
intentions.
Flowing from one passage to another,
Jesus then proceeds to expand on his teaching with a new analogy. Matthew 5:14
reads “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.”
Christians are the light of the world. That statement clearly exploits a
definition of a Christian. When all else is wrong in the world the Christians
are to shine the goodness and hope that only comes through faith in Jesus
Christ. In the case that nothing else is left in the world that is valuable or
positive, Christians will stand out with the truth of God’s Word and point the
lost in the direction of the satisfying and precious presence of the Lord.
“In the same way, let your light shine before
others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”
(Matthew 5:16.) People will not be greatly impacted by the goodness of God
through someone who claims to be a Christian but never overflows with the love
God shows His children. For the hearts of Christians to overflow with the power
and love of Christ, their hearts must first be filled up with Him. According to
Matthew 15:8, “these people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far
from me.” True Christian love is not something people have to remember to show;
when God is truly at the center of their hearts their lives naturally show
Christ. These Christians are the salt and light of the earth.
Studying this passage allowed me to
gain insight and realize my life is not perfect and there are many areas where
I have faltered in my relationship with God. As I continue to grow in my faith I
understand the desperate need to have my actions reflecting who I serve in my
life. While I currently attend a community college with little to no discussion
of faith or religion, I have realized I am placed there to be a light for God
and His Kingdom. I had no clue where to begin with this change, or what to do
to incorporate new changes in my life, but this study in Matthew has opened my
eyes to a new reality of truly being the salt and light of the earth.
Over the past few weeks I have taken
on applying the teaching of salt and light to my own personal walk with Christ.
One of the greatest rewards in allowing Christ to be the center of your life is
when you begin to see the impact it makes on those around you. When Jesus
presented the Sermon on the Mount he did not present the teaching to specific
Christians that wanted to do God’s will. Jesus was speaking to all those who
claimed to follow him. I began to realize that I can choose whether or not to
truly live my life for Christ, but why would I ever turn down an opportunity to
serve God? My creator, the One who holds the universe in His hands, has chosen
me to be His hands and feet. He looked at my life before it was existent and
instantly knew that I was going to be a part of fulfilling His greater plan.
Throughout the process of changing
my life to reflect Christ I began to look at different areas where I needed an
inward change. One of the areas I examined was the words that left my mouth;
were they uplifting and useful, or were they negative and wrong? Scripture is
very clear that the words that leave our lips reflect where our heart is.
“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it”
(Proverbs 4:23.) I decided that in order to be a light with the words that I
say (or do not say) to people, I needed to be cautious of the choices in movies
and music that I present myself with.
After I had begun this journey of
cutting negative and crude words out of my vocabulary, I found my conversations
with people to be much more relaxed and care-free. I no longer had to filter
out certain choice words depending on the age group I was in close proximity
with. Rewardingly, people notice when I chose not to participate in
conversations involving gossip, cussing, or hurtful themes. God often rewards
me in the most unexpected ways such as a feeling of peace inside my body right
after someone may criticize me for not using certain choice words.
Another major area of my life where
I noticed a change needing to take place was my confidence in who I was. I
struggle with identity issues as much as anyone else, yet I discovered the
difficulty behind presenting the gospel to friends or coworkers when you are
not confident in who you are in Christ. True confidence lies behind assurance
of who I am and who I was created to be. 2 Timothy 1:7 states, “For God did not
give us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Thinking back
on the ministry Jesus lived out during his time on earth I began to realize how
different his delivery of the gospel would have been had Jesus not been
confident in what his purpose was on earth and who His Father was. After
examining how different areas of Jesus’ ministry would have looked incredibly
different without his confidence in the Lord, (i.e. him walking on water in
Matthew 14:25, and his willingness to die on the cross as my substitute in
Matthew 27:50,) I came to the conclusion that having confidence in God would
change my life. Once I realized how different Jesus’ life would have been if he
was not secure in who he was, I began to challenge myself to find my confidence
and reassurance in Christ.
While this is still a challenge I am in the
process of changing, I have already discovered the strength I find to face
people who would generally disagree with my beliefs. Having the courage to
approach a coworker about attending church with me was a new step I had never
taken before, but because I understood my purpose on earth, I felt confident
regardless of their answer. After my coworker agreed to attend church with me,
my confidence continued to increase. Still today I find myself being challenged
and I continue to focus on why I am here and who I am ultimately on earth to
please.
Time and time again I have been
challenged in my faith. Whether it be tossing out old habits to better my
spiritual walk, incorporating new ideals to increase my knowledge, or being
able to live my faith on the outside as well as the inside, throughout the past
few weeks I have felt God doing a work in me to be a stronger Christian. I have
begun living the salt and light life Jesus referenced in the gospel of Matthew.
Changing areas of my life that I have set in stone was a challenge, and it
still is. Although, one of the most challenging portions of this journey was
admitting to myself the need for change and the areas I needed to experience
the most change in. Administering these changes into my spiritual life have
been rewarding in every way. I have gained a clearer insight into the life I am
called to lead as a follower of Christ, and I have additionally learned the
importance of repentance from not doing God’s will and coming back to Him with metanoia (the Greek word for “a change
of mind.”) As a follower of Christ there is never a point where I will learn
everything or be able to stop growing spiritually. Thankfully, the Sermon on
the Mount is only one area of teaching in the Bible to learn and grow from. I
will always remember how rewarding it is to sacrifice unnecessary areas of my
life when I examine where I was in my spiritual walk a few months ago. The
greater the sacrifice, the greater the change.
