Hey Family... I wanna teach this morning. This will take time... If you don't have time to digest slowly, wait to read this when you do...
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candle stick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Matthew 5:13-15
There is a Roman proverb that was probably around during Jesus’ time and it says “Nil sole et sale utilius.” It translates “There is nothing more useful than the Sun and Salt” Is this not what Jesus just told the disciples that is what they are. Salt and Light.
If we are Salt and Light, then we are what is known as a Catalyst: One of the definitions of a catalyst is: A person or thing that causes a change! You are the salt of the earth. No, not him, not her, YOU, Disciple of Christ! Why is that most of us wait until someone else “starts” to intervene before we get involved. There is an ABC show called “What Would You Do?” They put actors in public places and have them doing things that need to be stopped. Here are a few: A man at a bar puts something into a blind dates drink, a homeless man is walking and passes out in the middle of the street, a bakery store clerk is making crude remarks to a blind customer and cheats him out of some money, a Hispanic man is being attacked physically and verbally by a 3 men. A young couple is arguing and the male is physically threatening the female. These are but a few. Most times, people don’t get involved until some brave soul steps up and intervenes. Then everyone wants to be brave. Later for that! Jesus has called us out with his statement. You are the salt of the earth. You have been charged! We must not just sit back and allow this world to crumble. If the world needs what we have, then we must give it to them! No if, ands and or buts about it. We must be catalyst in society today. Too many of us are hoarding our Christianity. We never share the good news with anyone, and that is plain wrong. Jesus said Go ye therefore and TEACH all nations, not sit back and get fat off the Word! Shame on you!
Allow me do a little teaching here. Before we go into what salt does, allow me to go a little deeper into the thing we call salt, and its value. In Jesus’ time, salt was a precious commodity! That’s right, precious! Because we can just go down to Wal-Mart and pick up a box of salt for what, $0.70, and because of this, I truly believe something important is lost to us in what Jesus was saying.
Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in Salt. Slaves were traded for salt. That’s where the expression “worth one’s salt” comes from. The Latin word for salt, sal, is the basis for the English word salary! Another phrase was SAL DARE, meaning “To Give Salt” Salt was valuable, salt was precious! Jesus is telling us that we are precious! We are valuable! We are useful! We are needed! You are precious, valuable and useful to Jesus and to the world! How does that make you feel? Do you believe that? Isa 43:4 says “Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable and I have loved thee!” and since we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever more, We are still precious in his sight! You ought to be excited about that!
Not only is salt precious and valuable, it’s also useful! Unlike other Precious and valuable things like Rubies, emeralds, diamonds, pearls, gold, silver and other such things, which is only good to look at or be used to prop up a table, salt can be used in a variety of different ways.
SEASONS: Have you ever had some McDonald’s fries that had no salt? What about a pork chop or even a hamburger. What about popcorn with no salt? You know what, I could probably deal with salt less Mcdonalds fries, or even the burger, but the one thing I can’t eat w/o salt is POPCORN! There is just something about salt that makes things taste better! Helps bring out the flavor! I love salt on my watermelon. SOME PEOPLE put salt on EVERYTHING! When we do that, we run the risk of hypertension. We are to be a seasoning influence to the world around us: In our homes, on our jobs, in our recreation, in our community and even in the church. Salt brings out the natural goodness in foods and we are to bring out the natural goodness in people. However, just like eating too much natural salt, we must be careful not to give people spiritual hypertension by being overzealous. In everything, use moderation. Col 4:6 says Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
PRESERVES: Salt is a preservative and this world definitely needs to be preserved? In biblical times, they used salt to preserve their food. They didn’t have refrigerators and freezers to keep their food safe. If food isn’t properly preserved, what happens to it? That’s right, it spoils. It goes bad. It begins to rot. Isn’t that what our society is doing right now? Our society is rotting. There is so much sin in this world right now. You can’t turn on the TV with seeing all the murders, all the crime. And it’s kids who are doing a lot of the crimes. You got abortion happening all the time, sexual immorality is crazy, even in the church! I don’t know if it’s true or not, but look at bishop eddie long. There are so many pastors and high profile preachers and artist having affairs. Look at Sodom and Gomorrah. The issue wasn't that wicked people were everywhere. The real problem is that God’s people were nowhere to be found! There was no preserving influence, and evil just went unchecked, for bad to worse. God promised Abraham that if he could find 10 righteous people, he wouldn’t destroy the city. Abraham started off at 50 and wound up at 10. Only 10 righteous people were needed to save an entire city. We all know the outcome. Instead of us being salt in order to preserve our society, we want to stay away for the unsaved. We want to come to our big beautiful churches in our fancy clothes and look down our noses at the unsaved. They got mad at Jesus because he ate with sinners. We are too holy to be around certain people! Sometimes the only Jesus people will ever see is the Jesus in us, so we have to go where they are. The bible says once we are converted, to strengthen thy brother.
ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE: The bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our bodies crave salt. We must have salt in our diet. Without salt we’d suffer form a condition called “hyponatremia” Some side effects of hyponatremia are: dehydration, heart palpitations, weakness, confusion, slurred speech, nausea and in some cases, seizures, coma, or death if left untreated. Now, I told you before that you are useful. Remember the Roman saying “Nil sole et sale utilius”? There is nothing more useful than sun and salt? If we aren’t out being the salt of the earth, our families, our friends, our co-workers, and our community will continue to suffer from spiritual hyponatremia symptoms like:
Dehydration- John 6:35 says “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Be salt.
Heart Palpitations are when you feel like your heart is pounding or racing. PSM 24:17 wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Be salt.
Weakness: Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:18, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Phil 4:13. Be salt.
Confusion: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus Phil 2:5 Be Salt.
Slurred Speech: when what they say doesn’t make sense: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Gal 1:8 Be salt
Nausea, Seizers, Coma: Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: James 5:14 Be Salt
DEATH if left untreated! The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 BE SALT!!!!!! It’s essential for life!
PURIFIES: Salt kills germs, and acts as an antiseptic. That’s why some people gargle with salt. Put salt in to a wound and it stings at first, but it helps it to heal. When we are salt, we are to kill sin, we are to help heal wounds. Yes, the truth hurts sometimes, but the ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.
MELTS COLDNESS: What’s the number one thing we use to melt ice? Salt we throw it on the ground for safe passage. One way to describe a mean and evil person with who seems to have no conscience is to call him cold hearted. If we are salt, then our lives and our testimony should go a long way into melting the coldness of men’s hard heart.
There are many more uses for salt, but I think I’ve shown you just how VALUABLE and USEFUL salt is and can be. Looking back at our text, Jesus asks a rhetorical question. A rhetorical question is one to make you think. He says “but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” In other words, But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? But someone will say “Salt doesn’t lose its flavor”. I Beg to differ. Salt loses its flavor by being contaminated and/or diluted. How many of us have been contaminated or diluted by the world? The opposite is supposed to be true. We are supposed to affect the world, not the other way around! As a Christian, we must study God’s word for ourselves. We must continually be in prayer. If we are being diluted, we are not being catalyst. A catalyst changes the things around it, and is not consumed in the process. There are way too many watered down Christians in the church today, and a watered down Christian is more hindrance to the church than a help. We see them all the time, those who only come to be seen and heard of men. They have their reward! There are those who have no relationship w/ Christ, but they know all the lingo, they know all the songs, they know when to shout, how to shout, when to say hallelujah. Then they go home and beat their wives or go sleep with their the girl next door. They go drink and smoke weed until they go numb and watch some porn, having no intentions to change whatsoever. They use to be dedicated, but then they lost their flavor. Now, we can’t give flavor back to flavorless slat, but God can. We just have to keep praying for our watered down brothers and sisters. My question is, are you salty?
"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but on a candle stick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Matthew 5:13-15
There is a Roman proverb that was probably around during Jesus’ time and it says “Nil sole et sale utilius.” It translates “There is nothing more useful than the Sun and Salt” Is this not what Jesus just told the disciples that is what they are. Salt and Light.
If we are Salt and Light, then we are what is known as a Catalyst: One of the definitions of a catalyst is: A person or thing that causes a change! You are the salt of the earth. No, not him, not her, YOU, Disciple of Christ! Why is that most of us wait until someone else “starts” to intervene before we get involved. There is an ABC show called “What Would You Do?” They put actors in public places and have them doing things that need to be stopped. Here are a few: A man at a bar puts something into a blind dates drink, a homeless man is walking and passes out in the middle of the street, a bakery store clerk is making crude remarks to a blind customer and cheats him out of some money, a Hispanic man is being attacked physically and verbally by a 3 men. A young couple is arguing and the male is physically threatening the female. These are but a few. Most times, people don’t get involved until some brave soul steps up and intervenes. Then everyone wants to be brave. Later for that! Jesus has called us out with his statement. You are the salt of the earth. You have been charged! We must not just sit back and allow this world to crumble. If the world needs what we have, then we must give it to them! No if, ands and or buts about it. We must be catalyst in society today. Too many of us are hoarding our Christianity. We never share the good news with anyone, and that is plain wrong. Jesus said Go ye therefore and TEACH all nations, not sit back and get fat off the Word! Shame on you!
Allow me do a little teaching here. Before we go into what salt does, allow me to go a little deeper into the thing we call salt, and its value. In Jesus’ time, salt was a precious commodity! That’s right, precious! Because we can just go down to Wal-Mart and pick up a box of salt for what, $0.70, and because of this, I truly believe something important is lost to us in what Jesus was saying.
Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in Salt. Slaves were traded for salt. That’s where the expression “worth one’s salt” comes from. The Latin word for salt, sal, is the basis for the English word salary! Another phrase was SAL DARE, meaning “To Give Salt” Salt was valuable, salt was precious! Jesus is telling us that we are precious! We are valuable! We are useful! We are needed! You are precious, valuable and useful to Jesus and to the world! How does that make you feel? Do you believe that? Isa 43:4 says “Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honorable and I have loved thee!” and since we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever more, We are still precious in his sight! You ought to be excited about that!
Not only is salt precious and valuable, it’s also useful! Unlike other Precious and valuable things like Rubies, emeralds, diamonds, pearls, gold, silver and other such things, which is only good to look at or be used to prop up a table, salt can be used in a variety of different ways.
SEASONS: Have you ever had some McDonald’s fries that had no salt? What about a pork chop or even a hamburger. What about popcorn with no salt? You know what, I could probably deal with salt less Mcdonalds fries, or even the burger, but the one thing I can’t eat w/o salt is POPCORN! There is just something about salt that makes things taste better! Helps bring out the flavor! I love salt on my watermelon. SOME PEOPLE put salt on EVERYTHING! When we do that, we run the risk of hypertension. We are to be a seasoning influence to the world around us: In our homes, on our jobs, in our recreation, in our community and even in the church. Salt brings out the natural goodness in foods and we are to bring out the natural goodness in people. However, just like eating too much natural salt, we must be careful not to give people spiritual hypertension by being overzealous. In everything, use moderation. Col 4:6 says Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
PRESERVES: Salt is a preservative and this world definitely needs to be preserved? In biblical times, they used salt to preserve their food. They didn’t have refrigerators and freezers to keep their food safe. If food isn’t properly preserved, what happens to it? That’s right, it spoils. It goes bad. It begins to rot. Isn’t that what our society is doing right now? Our society is rotting. There is so much sin in this world right now. You can’t turn on the TV with seeing all the murders, all the crime. And it’s kids who are doing a lot of the crimes. You got abortion happening all the time, sexual immorality is crazy, even in the church! I don’t know if it’s true or not, but look at bishop eddie long. There are so many pastors and high profile preachers and artist having affairs. Look at Sodom and Gomorrah. The issue wasn't that wicked people were everywhere. The real problem is that God’s people were nowhere to be found! There was no preserving influence, and evil just went unchecked, for bad to worse. God promised Abraham that if he could find 10 righteous people, he wouldn’t destroy the city. Abraham started off at 50 and wound up at 10. Only 10 righteous people were needed to save an entire city. We all know the outcome. Instead of us being salt in order to preserve our society, we want to stay away for the unsaved. We want to come to our big beautiful churches in our fancy clothes and look down our noses at the unsaved. They got mad at Jesus because he ate with sinners. We are too holy to be around certain people! Sometimes the only Jesus people will ever see is the Jesus in us, so we have to go where they are. The bible says once we are converted, to strengthen thy brother.
ESSENTIAL FOR LIFE: The bible says we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Our bodies crave salt. We must have salt in our diet. Without salt we’d suffer form a condition called “hyponatremia” Some side effects of hyponatremia are: dehydration, heart palpitations, weakness, confusion, slurred speech, nausea and in some cases, seizures, coma, or death if left untreated. Now, I told you before that you are useful. Remember the Roman saying “Nil sole et sale utilius”? There is nothing more useful than sun and salt? If we aren’t out being the salt of the earth, our families, our friends, our co-workers, and our community will continue to suffer from spiritual hyponatremia symptoms like:
Dehydration- John 6:35 says “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Be salt.
Heart Palpitations are when you feel like your heart is pounding or racing. PSM 24:17 wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Be salt.
Weakness: Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matt 11:18, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Phil 4:13. Be salt.
Confusion: Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus Phil 2:5 Be Salt.
Slurred Speech: when what they say doesn’t make sense: But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. Gal 1:8 Be salt
Nausea, Seizers, Coma: Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: James 5:14 Be Salt
DEATH if left untreated! The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. John 10:10 BE SALT!!!!!! It’s essential for life!
PURIFIES: Salt kills germs, and acts as an antiseptic. That’s why some people gargle with salt. Put salt in to a wound and it stings at first, but it helps it to heal. When we are salt, we are to kill sin, we are to help heal wounds. Yes, the truth hurts sometimes, but the ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.
MELTS COLDNESS: What’s the number one thing we use to melt ice? Salt we throw it on the ground for safe passage. One way to describe a mean and evil person with who seems to have no conscience is to call him cold hearted. If we are salt, then our lives and our testimony should go a long way into melting the coldness of men’s hard heart.
There are many more uses for salt, but I think I’ve shown you just how VALUABLE and USEFUL salt is and can be. Looking back at our text, Jesus asks a rhetorical question. A rhetorical question is one to make you think. He says “but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” In other words, But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it useful again? But someone will say “Salt doesn’t lose its flavor”. I Beg to differ. Salt loses its flavor by being contaminated and/or diluted. How many of us have been contaminated or diluted by the world? The opposite is supposed to be true. We are supposed to affect the world, not the other way around! As a Christian, we must study God’s word for ourselves. We must continually be in prayer. If we are being diluted, we are not being catalyst. A catalyst changes the things around it, and is not consumed in the process. There are way too many watered down Christians in the church today, and a watered down Christian is more hindrance to the church than a help. We see them all the time, those who only come to be seen and heard of men. They have their reward! There are those who have no relationship w/ Christ, but they know all the lingo, they know all the songs, they know when to shout, how to shout, when to say hallelujah. Then they go home and beat their wives or go sleep with their the girl next door. They go drink and smoke weed until they go numb and watch some porn, having no intentions to change whatsoever. They use to be dedicated, but then they lost their flavor. Now, we can’t give flavor back to flavorless slat, but God can. We just have to keep praying for our watered down brothers and sisters. My question is, are you salty?