The Light of the World

Series:  A City Set on a Hill 2/17/13 A CITY SET ON A HILL: THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD (Matt. 5:13-16) Matt 5-7 contain perhaps Jesus’ most famous sermon, known as the Sermon on the Mount. In this message, or series of teachings, Jesus is setting forth the norms of kingdom life.  What will citizens of His kingdom look like? When He rules in our hearts and minds, how will we act? When we have experienced the blessings of life in Him, what are our responsibilities? Now that we are citizens of a different kingdom, how are we to relate to the world? How do we differ from the world?  Jesus addresses all of these questions in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matt 5:13-16 Jesus describes the impact of Kingdom living upon this present world. When we live as citizens of His kingdom, we are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, a city set on a hill. We exert a powerful influence on this world. That influence is what we have been looking at over the past several weeks.  I believe this is God’s word for New Life at this time. He is calling us to be a people of influence for His glory and honor. He is calling this church to be a city set on a hill, not so we can gain the attention or recognition of men, but so that His name may be lifted up, and His Kingdom purposes advanced.    Today we are going to consider what it means for us today to be the light of the world.