“WATCH YOUR EXAMPLE”
Matthew 5:7-16

INTRODUCTION: A. Letter to Diognetus, mid-to late-2nd century under the heading “The Manners of the Christians”: For the Christians are distinguished from other men neither by country, nor language, nor the customs which they observe. For they neither inhabit cities of their own, nor employ a peculiar form of speech, nor lead a life which is marked out by any singularity. The course of conduct which they follow has not been devised by any speculation or deliberation of inquisitive men; nor do they, like some, proclaim themselves the advocates of any merely human doctrines. But, inhabiting Greek as well as barbarian cities, according as the lot of each of them has determined, and following the customs of the natives in respect to clothing, food, and the rest of their ordinary conduct, they display to us their wonderful and confessedly striking method of life. They dwell in their own countries, but simply as sojourners. As citizens, they share in all things with others, and yet endure all things as if foreigners. Every foreign land is to them as their native country, and every land of their birth as a land of strangers. They marry, as do all [others]; they beget children; but they do not destroy their offspring. They have a common table, but not a common bed. They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.

--Prov. 22:1 – “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
B. What is your reputation?
1. Do people see you as someone who has set a good example to follow?
2. Do they see a correlation between what you profess and how you live?
3. Is your home, your place of employment, and your community influenced by how you live your life?

C. Listen to what Jesus said about how our relationship with Him should impact those that live around us
1. Mt. 5:13 – “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 by men”
a. Salt has a number of uses. It adds taste to food, melts ice, creates thirst. But in the first century salt was used primarily as a preservative. Jesus’ audience didn’t have refrigeration—when they butchered meat or caught fish they packed the meat in salt to preserve it. You can still buy country hams that are salt-cured.
b. When Jesus said that you are the salt of the earth, He acknowledged that decay is inevitable in a fallen world. Left alone, culture will always deteriorate, without Christ the world will rot. Jesus was saying that your job is to preserve truth and conserve Godly values in society. You permeate the world and help maintain a wholesomeness in the culture.
c. Jesus said that if salt loses its saltiness it’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and tromped on like sand in a path.
Technically, Sodium Chloride cannot lose its saltiness, but the salt mined from the Dead Sea was so polluted with other minerals that it lost its preserving abilities.
d. If a Christian becomes polluted by the sin and philosophy of the world we lose our preserving ability.
--Our job as Christians is to add flavor and create a thirst for God

2. Mt. 5:14 – “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden”
a. Light does one particular thing: it dispels darkness
b. Light illuminates a potentially dangerous path and makes it safe.
--Christians are to be luminaries along the path to God. We’re to be spotlights showing the way to salvation.
c. The role of God’s people has always been to be light in the darkness

1). Isaiah 49:6 says, “I will...make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may
bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.”
d. Jesus said, “Your testimony should not be hidden.”
1). You don’t light a lamp and put it under a huge bowl. You put that lamp on an elevated place so it gives as much light as possible.

2). Mt. 5:16 – “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”
3). Ephesians 5:8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light.”

D. How can we be salt and light most effectively?
1. This morning we began our study of the Sermon on the Mount by looking at the first four beatitudes that deal with our relationship with God.
2. The next four beatitudes focus on our relationship with people.
a. They suggest practical ways that we can help preserve the truth.
b. These are ways to watch your example.
--Here’s how you can most effectively be salt and light

SHOW MERCY
--Mt. 5:7 – “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
A. One of the best ways to influence the world for Christ is to show mercy to the hurting.
1. Many unbelievers reject our message as being irrelevant and they accuse Christians as being hypocrites.
--But there’s one virtue that impresses everyone in the world: deeds of mercy to those who are hurting.

2. Jesus told a parable about a man who was mugged and left for dead along the Jericho highway. Two religious men came by, saw his condition, and passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, a man of despised race, came by and had mercy on him. He bandaged his wounds, took him to a nearby hotel and paid for all his medical expenses. Jesus asked the crowd, “Who did the right thing?” Everyone in the audience agreed—the one who showed compassion on him.
a. Even the most cynical skeptic instinctively knows mercy is good.
b. Even the most morally liberal, postmodern mind appreciates the rightness of helping someone in need.

Slaves were treated like pieces of used furniture, and the position of women and children was far from ideal. If a woman gave birth to a daughter or a sickly son, the father had the privilege of rejecting the child and having it exposed to die.
A temperamental master could, in a fit of anger, main or even kill a slave. An enemy was an enemy, and the best enemy was a dead enemy. “
--Christ taught and the early Christians lived the message that instead of being a sickness to the soul, mercy was the very health of the Christian experience.

B. Mercy is a bridge.
1. It’s a bridge that God built so He can relate to you and me.
2. It’s also a bridge we have to build if we’re going to relate lovingly to others.
B. The greatest example of mercy is found in Jesus Christ at the cross.
--It’s a fulfillment of Ps. 85:10 – “Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.”

1. Mercy to others is a direct result of our recognition that God has showed us mercy.
a. It’s not that we are sinners and can therefore show mercy to other sinners.
b. It’s because I’m a forgiven sinner and have experienced mercy that I can extend mercy to others.
3. Mercy is obtained when we become channels of mercy. God’s mercy flows through us to others.
“You’ve seen those Gatorade commercials where everything is in black and white except the beverage? An exhausted athlete drinks Gatorade and then sweats purple or green sweat.
(It sure makes me want to drink it!) We ought to drink so deeply of God’s grace and mercy that mercy and compassion just flow out of our pores.”

HAVE A PURITY OF HEART
--Mt. 5:8 – “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
A. The heart is the center of our being.
1. It’s the master control area of life
--Prov. 4:23 –“Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”

2. The heart is the source of all of our trouble
a. Jer. 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things...”
b. Matt. 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”

B. The first step toward seeing God is admitting that our heart needs to be changed 1. Jer. 24:7 – “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD . They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”
--We’re not changed from the outside in. We are changed from the inside out.
2. Ps. 19:14 – “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”

the world respects people who are genuine and pure in heart. They’ll say,
“She’s for real.” “He has a good heart.” People can usually tell. They know if you really believe or you’re playing a role.
5. Having a pure heart helps your testimony but living a bad life hurts your witness even when you’re telling the truth.

Former baseball slugger and outfielder Jose Canseco released a book that
alleges that some pretty big names and surprising baseball stars used steroids and some very important people had knowledge of this
and did not do anything about it. It was the talk of the sports world and some of the allegations are probably true. The truth will not matter however because few will give the book and its accusations much credibility, true or not, because of Canseco’s reputation and horrible past. He has had a history of drug problems, bad attitudes and lies. You see his witness is compromised by his life.

b. The same can be true for us.
--We are never going to be perfect but if we live an impure life and our actions do not demonstrate a pure heart, people will not give our testimony much stock even when it is something true such as the gospel.
6. Strive for a pure heart.
1. To be pure in heart means to have pure thoughts and genuine motives.
--There is a consistency between your beliefs and behavior.
2. A person who is pure in heart is sincere and authentic.

BE A PEACEMAKER
--Mt. 5:9 – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” “Peacemakers release tension, they don’t intensify it. Peacemakers
seek solution and find no delight in arguments. Peacemakers calm the waters, they don’t trouble them.

Peacemakers work hard to keep an offense from occurring.
And if it has occurred, they strive for resolution. Peacemakers lower their voices rather than raise them. Peacemakers generate more light than heat.”
1. A peacemaker brings reconciliation between two parties at odds with one another.
2. Jesus is the Prince of Peace so the ultimate peacemaker is one who helps make peace between others and God by bringing them to Christ.
B. Sometimes you make peace by stepping in where there is conflict between two people and enabling reconciliation.
1. Do you recall when David and his angry warriors were galloping toward the home of the rancher, Nabal, armed for battle?

--Nabal had arrogantly refused to pay David’s men what was due them.
2. Nabal’s wife, Abigail, sized up the coming bloodshed and took action.
--She prepared a catered meal for David and his men; rode out to meet them, fed them, apologized for her husband’s ignorance, and pleaded for forgiveness.
3. She defused the hostility and war was averted.
a. David said, “May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day” (1 Samuel 25:33).

b. Abigail was a peacemaker.
--She was perceptive to the problem. She sacrificed her pride and energy to avoid conflict and she facilitated reconciliation. David was so impressed that when Nabal died several days later, he asked Abigail to marry him.
C. Sometimes you make peace by avoiding a potential conflict with someone else.
1. Someone insults you, cheats you, or mistreats your child and your first instinct is to get even.
2. But a peacemaker absorbs the hurt and sacrifices self to maintain a positive relationship.

E. “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they will be called the children of God.”
1. It’s not just God who says, “That’s one of my children.”
2. The world takes note of the peacemaker and says, “That’s my idea of what a Christian should be. That person bears resemblance to God.”
EXPECT PERSECUTION FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS
--Mt. 5:10-12 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

A. Notice the reason for persecution: for the sake of righteousness.
2. Sometimes when you’re merciful, pure, and peaceful, your standards tend to incriminate others and they will attack you.
a. Jesus was perfect yet the world crucified Him.
b. If we seek to follow Him we must anticipate some opposition.
c. All around the world there are people who face life and death because of their faith.

4. Sometimes when you try to be salt and light, you can be the victim of intense opposition.
B. Jesus said, “If you are persecuted, don’t whine, holler “foul,” and threaten to sue for every dime.

--Rejoice and be glad for three reasons:
1. First, you’re in good company—that’s the way God’s prophets were treated.
2. Second, your reward in heaven will be greater.
3. Third, when the world sees us respond with joy instead of anger, they will be attracted to Jesus Christ.
C. Paul and Silas were arrested in Philippi, beaten by the jailer, and placed in stocks in a damp, inner dungeon.
1. Instead of complaining to the jailer about their abuse, the Bible says, “Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God.”
--And the prisoners heard them. They’d heard all kinds of profanity from the inner dungeon, but never singing and praising.
2. Then an earthquake shook the entire prison and everyone was freed.
--The jailer prepared to commit suicide because he was responsible for them. But Paul called out, “Don’t harm yourself, we’re all here! The jailer called out, “What must I do to be saved?”

3. Why was he so receptive to the gospel? Why did he listen to Paul’s instruction and then be baptized the same night?
--Because when Paul and Silas were persecuted, they rejoiced and praised God. B. Our reputation is important because it should reflect Christ.

1. What we have as Christ followers is not because of what we’ve done but because of what Christ has done.
2. We have salvation and an eternal inheritance not because of anything that we could do but because of the good name of Jesus Christ
3. We have a wonderful place to spend eternity because of a Savior who has gone there to prepare a place for us