No Better Time To Shine

Jesus has just called His first disciples to follow Him, and they have enthusiastically responded to His call to join Him in gathering people into the kingdom in the same way they once gathered fish from the sea. Now Jesus begins to teach His disciples how their own lives can serve as examples to others of what the kingdom of God will look like when it comes.

Like the Mosaic law, the Sermon on the Mount describes the way of life that God calls His people to display as a means of showing the world the character of its Creator. Israel was to be a kingdom of priests, meditating God’s character and will for the rest of humanity to all the earth (Exodus 19:5-6). Christ followers are to be the salt and light in the world so that it might see their good works and glorify God (Matthew 5:13-16).

This sermon is not an instructional manual for winning God’s favor. Rather, it describes those transformed by His grace and have understood our weakness and need for His mercy. We are called to follow Jesus to demonstrate the character of God and His kingdom through the character of our lives.

The gospel reveals the depth of our need and our total inability to save ourselves.

A fire turns all things near into fire, and leaven spreads until it has subdued the whole lump. So is the nature of grace, it loves to spread itself.

Don’t let the frustrations and weariness of this world crowd out our light and love. There is no better time to shine!