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Can the World be Made Better? - Matthew 5; Revelation 21
A sermon preached by Jonathan Redfearn

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The Big Question we’re looking at tonight is ‘Can the world be made better?’ Well what would make your world better? Some of you might be thinking ‘I wish it could be Christmas everyday’! Others of you might be saying ‘Peace on earth’, or 'an end to greedy bankers, corrupt MPs, high carbon emision from the super powers and to Simon Cowell’s domination of TV'. But what about you and me? In his song ‘Man in the Mirror’ Michael Jackson has the line: “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make the change”. So what does the Bible say?

Well the Bible says this world as we know it will never be perfect. This world is fallen because of our rebellion against God. This world will come to an end when Jesus Christ returns. Revelation 21:1 – the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Then, v1, there will be a new heaven and a new earth where (v4) there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. No more cancer or Alzheimer’s, no more funerals, no more hospitals and dental surgeries, no more practising doctors and dentists. So many in this church will have to retrain in heaven! Who will inherit all this? v7 – those who overcome – those who have the victory over sin, death and the devil through faith in Jesus Christ, in his death and resurrection. Jesus came into the world to rescue sinners, to bring peace with God and give eternal life to those who trust in him, to bring about a new world order. And Jesus in Matthew 28 commands us to go and take that message to the whole world, to make disciples of all nations, to see lives changed for good, teaching them to obey everything Jesus has commanded, including therefore his instruction in Matthew 5 to be salt and light – to change this dark world for him. Yes, in between his first and second comings, Jesus says in Matthew 24:6-8 that such things as wars and rumours of wars, nation rising against nation, famines and earthquakes will happen. But Jesus also says in Matthew that Christians are to make a difference in this world by being salt and light. So first:

1. YOU WERE CHOSEN TO CHANGE BRITAIN (OR CHINA, INDIA etc.)

Kaka, the Brazil and Real Madrid football player, has said that his belief in Jesus is what determines his life. It’s to be the same for us. And Jesus says in Matthew 5, be what you are – salt and light. Influence the world for Jesus and ‘shine like stars in a crooked and depraved generation as you hold out the word of life’ (Philippians 2:15). Communicate the gospel, care for needs and contend for the truth. Surely we must if we love our neighbours as ourselves. In Acts 17 the Apostle Paul was accused of turning Thessalonica upside down. And we should be turning Tyneside upside down with Christ and for Christ. Barack Obama was chosen or elected as President of the USA to bring change to America. Sadly some of the changes he’s making go against the clear teaching of the Bible. You, if you’re trusting in Jesus Christ, were chosen or elected by God to change Britain (or wherever you live or end up living in the future). Paul in Ephesians 1&2 writes this: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight… For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” And Jesus says in Matthew 5:13&14:

¹³"You are the salt of the earth…¹⁴“You are the light of the world."

What are the characteristics of Christian saltiness and light? Well they’re displayed in the beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12). So being salt and light is part of our ministry and mission to the world. "Blessed [or truly happy] are the merciful, the peacemakers and the persecuted", says Jesus. It’s part of our discipleship to be different and to make a difference. "Blessed are the meek and the pure in heart.” It’s part of our worship as we aim to bring glory to God in every part of our lives and in the world. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” And being salt and light is what we’re to do as a church as well as individually. The 'You' in v13&14 is plural. You were chosen as individuals and as a church to change Tyneside, Britain and beyond. As someone has put it:

'You were put on earth to make a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources – to eat, breathe and take up space. God designed you to make a difference with your life.'

Notice that Jesus doesn't say you will be salt and light or you might be salt and light but rather that you are – so be what you are. The world needs you to be what you are. The world might not always want you to be what you are (v10-12 of Matthew 5 Jesus says, "blessed are the persecuted") but it needs you to be. For salt prevents decay and light illumines the darkness. Britain without salty Christians will rot morally and spiritually, says Jesus by implication, just as meat rots without salt.

Jesus calls us to stop the spread of evil and promote the spread of the gospel, of truth and of goodness. At JPC we say this about being salt and light: 'We believe that we should stand up for Christian values where we live and work, pray for leaders of Britain (and the world) and for a widespread acceptance of the gospel; and support individuals who are seeking to bring a Christian influence to bear in our culture by political means. The wellbeing of British society depends on the presence of a healthy Christian influence.’ But there’s no point just saying it or having it written down. We need to get out of the saltshaker, shine in the darkness, and be part of a peaceful Christian uprising. So secondly

2. YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH v13

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.

Why salt? Well one of the main uses of salt in Jesus' day was as a preservative. Meat and fish were caked in it to prevent them rotting and perishing. And today Christians are to do the same in society – we are to stop the rot, promote truth and goodness and spread the good news to those who are perishing. The good news that, 'God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him might not perish but have eternal life' (John 3:16). If you haven’t already will you receive the ultimate antidote to perishing – eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ? Stopping the rot and spreading the good news will irritate some as only salt can but we must get involved, being proactive as well as a preservative. You see Jesus didn’t say, 'You are the honey of the world' – but 'the salt of the earth' and salt can bite. So our saltiness will not be liked by everyone. Now we’re not promised here that we’ll always be able to Christianize legislation and the values of the world, but we are challenged to be an irritant, marching to a different drum and calling on society to heed God's standards. It’s vital to the moral and spiritual health of this nation that we do. Yet so often the church in Britain is insipid or even against God's truth. Someone wrote:

In Britain today there is growing dishonesty, immorality, violence, porn, a diminishing respect for human life, and an increase in abortion. Whose fault is it? Let me put it like this: if the house is dark at night, there is no sense in blaming the house. That's what happens when the sun goes down. The question to ask is, "Where is the light?" If meat goes bad, there is no sense in blaming the meat. That is what happens when the bacteria are allowed to breed unchecked. The question to ask is, "Where is the salt?" If society becomes corrupt like a dark night or stinking fish, there's no sense in blaming society. That's what happens when fallen human society is left to itself and human evil is unrestrained and unchecked. The question to ask is "Where is the church?"

So what does it mean in practice to be salt in this sense? Well let's take education. Do you know how many university students there are in this city? 48,000. How we as a church need to be salt and light among those who will be among the future leaders and decision makers of this nation and internationally. At present only a minute percentage have contact with a church. But the opportunities are vast. Perhaps even a new Christian university?

Salty Christians are also needed in our schools and also in local and national government where policies are made. Christian head teachers and governors are vital. But if Christians there lose their saltiness or hide their light the result says Jesus is that we are thrown out and trampled by men. And without salt there will be decay in our schools and among our young people. New opportunities to be salt in education on a wider scale are emerging with the possibility of parents and others being able to set up their own schools with government funding. Let’s be ready. Yes there needs to be a peaceful Christian uprising in the western world.

And a small number of Christians can under God transform society just as a relatively small amount of salt can make a disproportionate difference to the lifespan and flavour of food. That was true of the Clapham Sect – a small evangelical group of about 20 including Wilberforce which began meeting in the late eighteenth century – who changed Britain and the world through establishing gospel missionary societies and social reforms, including campaigning to abolish slavery.

Robert Bellah, a US sociologist, says, "We should not underestimate the significance of the small group of people who have a new vision of a just and gentle world. The quality of a culture may be changed when two percent of its people have a new vision." I pray for a Jesmond version of the Clapham Sect as well as the Christian Institute and for us to permeate non-Christian society, take our stand there uncompromisingly with the gospel and the moral standards of Jesus being proactive as well as reactive, promoting marriage etc. The recent Manhattan Declaration sets out to promote and defend such truths:

the sanctity of human life, the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife, the rights of conscience and religious liberty. The declaration goes on: Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defence, and to commit ourselves to honouring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

I agree with that. And in this country there’s an attack on Christian freedoms. We need to pray and act. Without Christianity the culture collapses, as the poet TS Eliot recognised. So what next - a Jesmond Declaration for the UK?

Salt also adds flavour and creates thirst. Salt draws out the distinctive flavour of food, and without it some foods seem insipid and unattractive. My wife's bread, for example, is absolutely inedible…when she forgets to add the salt! It’s the salty Christian that will bring flavour to life and society. Our fullness of life, joy, appreciation of beauty should characterise us as Christians and set us apart in what can be a drab, dysfunctional world. The attractiveness of the living Christ living in us will draw some people. Salt also creates thirst. It’s not only what we say about the gospel that points people to Christ, it's the quality of life we have found and enjoy in him which creates a thirst in others for God.

Now we might be tempted to think that being salt in today's society will drive everybody away from the gospel. No. Some will persecute and hate us just as they did Jesus. But others will be drawn as we display God's righteousness in this world. In that way salt is also associated with purity. It’s self-righteousness that condemns the unrighteous and keeps them away. So don't lose your saltiness! If you have, then ask God to forgive you. From time to time it’s good to examine ourselves. Recently a cash point machine in Manchester started giving everyone double what they asked for. No-one alerted the bank for a very long time. Maybe they felt the bank could give them a bonus too! But what would we have done? 2 Chronicles 7:14:

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and will heal their land."

Revival starts with us. We need to ask God to change us and in his mercy to bring true revival. In the Welsh revival of the early 1900s the crime rate vanished and the police became redundant so they set up singing groups to go round local churches! Thirdly and finally:

3. YOU ARE THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD v14-16

¹⁴You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Jesus says Christians who display the beatitudes are also the light of the world. Together as the body of Christ our light can shine strongly and brightly just as a city cannot be hidden when it stands on a hill. But what does this mean in practice? Jesus says here that letting our light shine before men means doing good deeds. These include evangelism but often our good deeds will be pre-evangelism – acts of compassion and mercy, lovingly getting alongside those who are hurting or suffering, which creates opportunities to speak about the gospel. Some will then recognise that we’re followers of Christ and praise not us but our Father in heaven and begin to turn to him. After the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 one self proclaimed atheist was greatly moved by the relief effort he witnessed first hand by church groups. He wrote this in The Guardian newspaper:

"It ought to be possible to live a Christian life without being a Christian but notable by their absence were teams from rationalist societies, free thinkers' clubs, and atheists' associations—the sort of people who scoff at religion. It is an unavoidable conclusion that Christians are the people most likely to take the risks and make the sacrifices involved in helping others.”

So shine. Do good deeds. And do so without complaining says Paul in Philippians 2, which will be a huge witness to Christ in itself! Don't hide your light under a two gallon bowl so that no-one can see it, rather put it on its stand so that Christ can stand out through you. And as with salt a small amount of light can make a huge impact. So don't be like some believers who are what might be called "rabbit-hole" Christians. In the morning they pop out of their safe Christian homes, hold their breath at work, scurry home to their families and then off to their Bible studies, and finally end the day praying for the unbelievers they safely avoided all day. No, be what you are – be salt and light in the power of the Spirit. For example, take the Christianity Explored Taster Sessions flyer that’s in your service sheet and use it to invite someone. God doesn’t want us to be cowardly as v8 of Revelation 21 makes very clear.

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