What is My Influence?

Devotional

Day 1: Humble Beginnings: Salt That Preserves a Destitute Heart

True influence starts with brokenness. Jesus’ call to be salt begins not with action but with poverty of spirit – the raw admission that we lack what eternity demands. The Beatitudes outline a character shaped by mourning over sin, meek surrender, and hunger for righteousness. This countercultural humility preserves communities from moral decay, just as salt kept meat from rotting. Only those who recognize their spiritual bankruptcy can become vessels of preservation in a crumbling world. [27:16]

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:3–6, NIV)

Reflection: Where have you substituted self-sufficiency for spiritual poverty? How might admitting your destitution before God free others to seek His kingdom through you?

Day 2: Uncompromised Flavor: When Salt Fertilizes Thirsty Souls

Salt changes what it touches. It stings wounds yet heals, seasons blandness, and awakens thirst. Christians adulterated by compromise lose their distinct flavor, becoming as useless as contaminated salt trampled underfoot. But those remaining “pure in heart” fertilize growth in others through Spirit-led compassion. Like salt triggering photosynthesis, integrity in speech and mercy in action nourishes dormant faith in those watching. The call isn’t to impress but to irreversibly alter the taste of every interaction. [34:04]

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6, NIV)

Reflection: What relationships or environments have you avoided “seasoning” for Christ? Where might your presence—not perfection—fertilize someone’s hunger for God?

Day 3: City on a Hill: Light That Exposes and Grows New Life

A hidden lamp suffocates; a darkened city invites disaster. Christ’s light in believers isn’t decorative but directional—exposing corruption, disinfecting wounds, and guiding wanderers like runway lights for a crashing plane. Just as wartime Paris blacked out to avoid bombers, dimmed Christian witness leaves others vulnerable. But unashamed luminosity, like a lampstand illuminating all corners, sparks growth even in resistant soil. Your story of grace, like photosynthesis, can transform death into spring. [44:24]

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV)

Reflection: What areas of your life still hide in shadow? How might your healed wounds become runway lights for someone’s emergency landing?

Day 4: Scratched Windows and Tears: When Light Pierces Unexpected Corners

Influence often happens through unplanned cracks. A scratched window became a portal for gospel light when honest pain met a worker’s grief. Tears under sunglasses revealed a heart ready for harvest—not through sermons but through a wife’s quiet confidence that “the worst thing” couldn’t eclipse God’s faithfulness. Light-bearing requires no platforms, only permeable authenticity. Your Tyvek moments—when life’s coverings get torn—might be God’s setup for illuminating another’s darkness. [47:21]

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10, NIV)

Reflection: What recent frustration or accident might be God’s tool to expose His light? Who needs to see your unvarnished trust in Christ’s sufficiency today?

Day 5: For the Sake of the Father: Good Deeds That Point Heavenward

The goal isn’t admiration but awe. When addicts told the transformed man “we see a light in you,” they glimpsed the Father’s glory, not self-help. Good deeds become idolatrous when they whisper “look at me,” but when they shout “look at Him,” even the broken recognize their Source. Like salt absorbed into meat or light reflecting its sun, our influence fades unless it daily dies to self and declares: “Taste and see—the Lord is good.” [53:47]

“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, NIV)

Reflection: Do your actions prompt others to compliment you or crave your God? What one shift would make your influence less about your goodness and more about His?

Sermon Summary

Matthew five verses 13 through 16 asks a plain question: what is the influence of a Christian life? Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world,” and he makes that personal. Salt and light are not just for leaders or for certain people in the church. Jesus puts that responsibility on each believer.

The influence of a Christian begins with character. The character needed is trustworthy, genuine, honest, steadfast, and full of integrity, yet human nature cannot build that by itself. Second Corinthians says that anyone in Christ is a new creation. The old has passed away, and the new has come by the working of the Holy Spirit.

The Beatitudes give the shape of that new character. The poor in spirit know their destitute hearts and seek after God. Those who mourn want victory over sin, forgiveness, and reconciliation. The meek accept their lowly position before God. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness seek justice, holiness, and most importantly God himself. The merciful show practical, Spirit-led compassion. The pure in heart have pure motives, holy thoughts, and a clear conscience. The peacemakers are healers, joining together what has been opposed and bringing reconciliation.

Jesus then gives the purpose: salt and light. Salt preserves, and the salt image calls believers to help hold back godlessness, immorality, and chaos. Salt flavors, and once it is added, it changes what it touches. Salt makes thirsty, and the gospel can make others thirsty for Christ. Salt also fertilizes, giving what is needed for growth.

Salt carries a warning. Salt may not lose its saltiness in itself, but it can be diluted and contaminated. Contaminated salt still looks like salt, but it does not taste like salt or act like salt. A hard clump of fertilizer will not spread right, and a hard heart can become ineffective and useless. The warning is not about losing salvation, but about losing purpose.

Jesus also says, “You are the light of the world.” Light exposes darkness, gives contrast, disinfects, gives direction, and brings life and growth. A city on a hill cannot be hidden, and a lamp belongs on its stand, not under a bowl. Fear and shame can shut off the light, but Christ calls his people to shine.

Matthew 5:16 gives the reason it matters. Good deeds are not work-based salvation. Good deeds are the visible reflection of Christ’s grace, mercy, and love. The aim is not personal gain or getting puffed up, but that others may see the difference Christ has made and glorify the Father in heaven.

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Key Takeaways

1. Character begins with new creation. Christ does not call believers to manufacture integrity out of raw human nature. The trustworthy, genuine, steadfast life comes from the Spirit making a person new in Christ. The Beatitudes are not a mask to wear, but the family likeness of those whose old life has passed away. [27:54]
2. Salt must not become adulterated. Salt that is diluted and contaminated still carries the name, but it no longer tastes or acts like salt. A Christian life can become ineffective when hardness, compromise, or neglect keeps it from spreading what God intended. The issue is not Christ losing his grip on his people, but his people losing their usefulness in daily witness. [36:16]
3. Light belongs on its stand. A lamp under a bowl is not humble, it is useless for the room it was meant to serve. Fear can make a believer hide the very light that Christ gave for the sake of others. The light of Christ is seen in ordinary reactions, in the way people are treated, and in the calm mercy that opens a door for the gospel. [45:15]
4. Good deeds aim at God’s glory. Good works are not a ladder into salvation, but the evidence of a life shaped by grace. The point is not to be noticed, praised, or puffed up, but to reflect the Father clearly. When Christ’s difference can be seen, another person may be drawn toward the God who made that difference.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[23:41] - What Is My Influence?
[24:20] - Matthew 5:13-16 Read
[25:10] - Character, Purpose, and Why It Matters
[26:58] - Christian Character in the Beatitudes
[31:46] - Salt and Light as Purpose
[33:01] - Salt Preserves, Flavors, and Creates Thirst
[35:59] - Warning Against Losing Saltiness
[40:36] - Light Exposes and Gives Direction
[43:56] - A City on a Hill Cannot Hide
[46:07] - Letting Light Show in Daily Life
[47:42] - A Scratched Window and Gospel Opportunity
[51:18] - Why Salt and Light Matter
[53:47] - For His Sake and Glory
[54:48] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

Matthew 5:13-16
“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 underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither 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. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” [24:18]

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” [28:10]

Matthew 5:3-9
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Observation questions

In Matthew 5:13-16, what two pictures does Jesus use to describe his people, and what does each picture do according to the passage? [31:52]
Looking at Matthew 5:3-9, what kinds of qualities are listed in the Beatitudes, and which of those qualities describe how a believer treats both sin and other people? [29:49]
What were some specific uses of salt that were named: preserving, flavoring, creating thirst, and helping growth? [33:12]
According to Matthew 5:16, what is the stated result when believers let their light shine before others? [51:40]

Interpretation questions

If Christian character begins with being made new in Christ, how does that change the way a person thinks about integrity, honesty, and steadfastness? [27:54]
Jesus warns about salt that has become ineffective. What does it look like for a believer to still look like salt, but no longer “taste” or “act” like salt in daily life? [37:11]
Jesus says a lamp belongs on its stand. Why can hiding faith out of fear or shame become more than a private struggle, and how does it affect other people? [45:15]
Matthew 5:16 connects good deeds with the glory of the Father. How can a person do visible good without turning it into self-promotion or a search for praise? [52:53]

Application questions

Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world.” Where does that truth need to become more personal right now: at home, at work, in the neighborhood, or in the church? [32:33]
The Beatitudes describe the family likeness of those who belong to Christ. Which one of those traits feels most needed in this season: poverty of spirit, mourning over sin, meekness, hunger for righteousness, mercy, purity of heart, or peacemaking? Why? [30:06]
Salt can become diluted and contaminated. What tends to dull a believer’s witness most easily: compromise, neglect, bitterness, a hard heart, fear of people, or something else? [38:50]
A hard clump of fertilizer cannot spread the way it should. Where is there a danger of becoming hard-hearted and ineffective, and what might softening before God look like this week? [38:45]
Light is often seen in ordinary reactions. Can the group think of a recent moment when a calm, gracious, or truthful response opened a door that anger or defensiveness would have shut? [46:26]
Good deeds are not a ladder into salvation, but they do make Christ visible. What are some very ordinary good works that could help others see the Father more clearly this week? [53:10]
The aim is that others would glorify the Father in heaven. In the good things a person does, how can the heart stay humble so that the attention goes to God instead of to self? [53:00]

Sermon Clips

63s

#LeadOthersToChrist

“``So in closing, why should we be salt and light? We should always do it for his sake and his glory. That we may lead others to Christ so that none should perish but everyone have everlasting life, and that our life may reflect God's love and compassion to a lost world. So the question before us, how are we doing? What is our character? What is our purpose? And why does it matter? Remember, you are the salt of the earth. are the light of the world.”

64s

#YouAreSaltAndLight

“Our purpose here on earth is to be salt and light to others. Jesus' call on each one of us is to be different. We're to stand out. We're to have an influence on others. That is enforced in the reinforced in the beginning of thirteen and fourteen, stating that you are the salt and the light. You see, Jesus makes it very personal and real here for us. He does not say that this is a position that is for the pastor or even for the church leaders. No. He doesn't say that. He makes it very clear to each one of us that you are the salt and the light. And in that, each one of us have a responsibility for us as Christians.”

60s

#KeepYourSalt

“We need to be careful that we don't lose our saltiness as Christians. In reality, salt cannot lose its saltiness, but it can be adulterated. Back in this setting, The Middle East had great access to salt, and much of the salt in The Middle East was not 100% pure. It can be diluted and contaminated, and in some situations, that was what was happening there. And sometimes, that's what happens to us as Christians when we fall away. We can be diluted and contaminated. It is still salt, but it will not taste like salt, and it will not act like salt.”

54s

#HoldFastToPurpose

“You know, this can happen very easily to Christians when they stop living for Christ faithfully. The point here, and I want you to hear this very closely, the point here is not about our salvation. Once we as Christians have put our faith and trust in Jesus alone and have reconciled to him, it tells us in John that nothing can snatch us out of his hand. let me tell you, there's many strong, big Christians that we know of. Some of them leading huge churches that have stumbled and fall have fallen. And it's about us losing our purpose as Christians in our walk of life.”

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What is My Influence? | 7-26-26