Talks, Sermons and Reflections

Matthew 5:13-20 listen to ‘How can I live a good life that brings glory to God’ on Audioboo Jesus said, “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (v20) Jesus in the previous verses has told us that: You are either salt or you are not salt (v13) The emphasis here is on what happens when the salt loses its taste. Technically, salt cannot lose its taste – but it can become diluted. And if it does, it is worthless. You are either light or you not light (v14-16) In verses 14-16, Jesus uses two pictures. The first is that of a city on a hill. If you are the city on the hill, you will not be able to be hidden. If you drive down the M11, you will come to London. You will not miss it. And Jesus says, in the same way, if you are light you will shine. People will see your light. It is possible to put a lamp under a basket, but it is pointless. Why bother to light the lamp in the

Ephesians 4:1-16 The book of Ephesians encourages  us to look at  other people  with completely different eyes.  On one side there were the  Jews On the  other side you have Gentiles Paul is saying that now, in Jesus, who was a Jew,  but who died on the cross and then rose again,  there is a new way of being, a new way of living. If you are with Jesus, you are no longer to identify yourself as a Jew, or as a Gentile – but as a new person . ‘His purpose was to create in himself one new person, out of the two, thus making peace’ (Ephesians 2:15) And you will realise that what Paul is saying here about Jew and Gentile can  equally  be applied to all our human distinctions – black/white, male/female, lived in Bury all life/newcomer, English/Scottish , Academy (two tier)/KEGS (three tier) When we are with Jesus, we  are no longer Jew/Gentile. We  become new people with a new  identity, a new purpose, and a new  unity. And in Ephesians 4, Paul is saying  Guard