Matt. 5:13 YE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH
Intro: Ill. The various names God gives His children in the Bible. (Some
are: sheep, brethren, little ones, etc.) When Jesus gives us the name of "salt",
He is reminding us that we have the opportunity and the responsibility to be an influence
in the world. It is interesting that these verses should follow the Beatitudes. In the
Beatitudes, Jesus gives some qualities that ought to be present in every citizen in the
Kingdom. When we are possessed of these characteristics, we will be a positive influence
and we will make a difference in the world around us. When we are living out the standards
of the Lord Jesus in our lives, we will be like salt and like light. Now, light is an
external quality that enables one to see. Just as a glistening, limestone city sitting
high on a hillside cannot be hidden for the light coming from its walls, so the Christian
who shines with the brilliance of the Lord Jesus cannot be hidden from the view of the
world. In other words, your testimony will get out on you. Those around you will see it
and be touched by it.
Tonight, I would like to zero in on the idea of our being called
"salt." In this one verse, Jesus makes three statements that need to be
considered and understood by every child of God this evening. Let's take the time to look
together at them as we consider the thought Ye Are The Salt Of The Earth.
I. A DESCRIPTION TO ANALYZE
People in general do not realize the importance of salt in maintaining
the life and health of their bodies.
An exact percentage of it is always present in our bloodstream, and any
great deviation from this amount can result in sickness and even death.
Salt is a sustainer of other life, too. For this reason sea water will
support many more organisms than fresh water. As a preservative, it retards spoilage. Also
it is a splendid condiment, adding zest and savor to our food.
Salt in the Scriptures is said to be:
1. A symbol of a binding covenant (Lev. 2:13)
2. A healing and cleansing aid (2 Ki. 2:20-21)
3. A stimulant to the appetite (Job 6:6)
4. A preventive of decay (Luke 14:34-35)
5. A promoter of peace (Mark 9:50)
6. A stimulant to our testimony (Mt. 5:13)
7. An evidence of grace (Col. 4:6)
(Ill. We are called salt because of:)
A. Our Preserving Ability - (Ill. Salt wards off
rot and decay! It is rubbed into meat in an effort to preserve it.) (Ill. Sodom and
Gomorrah - Gen. 19. They could have been saved by the preserving influence of just 10
righteous men.) So it is in America today! I am convinced that the presence and the
prayers of "salty" Christians has done more to preserve this nation than
anything else we could name. It is the righteousness of God's children that made America
great and it is what keeps this country from being judged today, Pro. 14:34.
B. Our Penetrating Ability - (Ill. Salt will
penetrate and infiltrate whatever it touches. It is an aggressive substance.) (Ill. The
early church - Acts 8:1, 4; Acts 17:6.) I believe that we have been called by the Lord to
be an active force in the world around us. The church should be a militant army charging
the very gates of Hell, Matt. 16:18.
C. Our Purifying Ability - (Ill. Salt has
remarkable cleansing ability.) (Ill. 2 Kings 2:19-22 - Elisha cleansed the waters at
Jericho with salt. In ancient times, newborn babies were washed in salt to cleanse their
bodies and to give firmness to their skin, Eze. 16:4.) (Ill. Salt in a wound can cleanse
the area.) Often, Christians have a purifying effect on the world around them. They ought
to behave differently when the child of God walks up. Don't be offended if they stop
talking when you come around. Just thank God that you are acting as a purifying force in
the world around you.) (Ill. Every meat offering was to be made with salt - Lev. 2:13. So
it is with our lives. We are to offer our lives as an offering tot he Lord, Rom. 12:1-2.
When we do, it proves that we are worth our salt!)
D. Our Pleasing Ability - (Bringing out the
best. Salt blends and adds flavor to food. In fact, there are some foods that are better
off not eaten, if there is no salt!) So too, the Christian should flavor the world around
him. As salt, we are to so live our lives that we bring out the best in those around us.
That is what Jesus did time and again, and that what you and I are supposed to be doing
for His glory! (Ill. Phil. 1:27)
E. Our Poisoning Ability - (Ill. Salt kills some
things! Ever poured salt on a slug? Slugs and salt do not mix! Salt poured on a lawn will
kill the grass. Too much salt is not good for your blood pressure.) (Ill. Abimelech, in
Judges 9:45, took a city and the sowed the city with salt to prevent the ground from being
used to grow crops. He killed the fields with salt.) By the same token, when true
Christianity is sowed into the lives, homes and communities of the world, some things will
be put to death. We can make an impact on our world by the very fact that Christianity os
pure poison to sin. When Jesus comes into a life, drinking, cussing, fighting, hating,
killing, drugging, loose living, etcetera, are all put to death in the name of Jesus - 2
Cor. 5:17.)
F. Our Promoting Ability - (Ill. Salt creates a
thirst for water in those who are exposed to it!) As salt, the Christian has the wonderful
opportunity to promote a thirst for Jesus in the world. Remember what the Lord told us? He
said that out of our bellies would flow rivers of living water - John 7:37-38. When we
live as Christians should live. When we take the call of Jesus seriously and live right,
look right, act right, talk right, worship right, dress right, etc. Then we have the
ability to create a thirst for Jesus in the hearts of those around us. When that happens,
we can point men to Jesus and share with them the water of life. Sadly, most Christians do
not promote thirst, but ridicule instead. Too often, we live substandard immoral lives and
the world sees it and says, "Why should I receive Jesus? I live just as good as that
crowd down at the church!" Fact is, they are often right! Let's so live that we ever
prove them wrong. Our lives must be above reproach if we are to create a thirst for God in
the world around us!
(Ill. We must never give anyone cause to say, "If that is a
Christian, then I never want to be one." Instead, our lives ought to motivate
people to say, "That is what I want my life to be.")
G. Our Proven Ability - (Ill. Salt changes
nearly everything it touches. Ill. Food, ice, etc.) (Ill. We are called to be thermostats
and not thermometers in the world around us. We are to be the instruments that God can use
to implement change in a wicked world. When genuine, New Testament Christianity touches
this sinful, wicked world, there will be change of some variety. We just need to be sure
that we are changing the world and not the other way around! (Ill. The modern mentality,
"We have to be like the world to win the world." We'll win more if we are like
Jesus!
I. A Description To Analyze
II. A DANGER TO AVOID
A. Salt was a very valuable in the ancient world. So valuable, in fact,
that the Roman Legions were often paid their wages in salt. This payment was called the
"salarium." (Ill. The is where the expression,
"Not worth his salt." comes from!)
B. It was possible for salt in that day to lose its flavor. The salt
used then was far different from that which we see today. Our salt is a chemical compound
called chloride of sodium or sodium chloride. The salt used in the ancient world was
either mined from the salt cliffs along the Dead Sea, which were 7 miles long and several
hundred feet high, or it was evaporated from the waters of the Dead Sea. Either way, it
was always mixed with mineral or vegetable matter. When this substance was exposed to the
elements or when it touched the earth, the salt lost its salty taste. Even the surface
salt that was dug from the cliffs was discarded because exposure to he light rendered it
tasteless. This tasteless salt also lost all the qualities that made it so valuable and
sought after to begin with.
C. It is possible for Christians to loose their saltiness as well. This
happens to us when we, just like salt in ancient times, come into too close contact with
the world. When get to be more like the world than we are like the Lord, then we have lost
that thing that sets us apart and makes us valuable to the Lord's Kingdom work.) (Ill. Too
often, we allow our wells to get filled with junk! Ill. The Event in Gen. 26:15-18. When
we allow our wells to be filled with the world's junk than we are practically useless to
the Lord and His Kingdom work!)
I. A Description To Analyze
II. A Danger To Avoid
III. A DESTINY TO ABHOR
A. In ancient times, when salt lost its savor, it was then taken out and
cast into the footpaths. It was used much as gravel is in our day. Its only purpose then
was to kill out the weeds that might grow in the road, and for me to walk on to keep their
sandals out of the mud. Literally, it was to be trodden under the foot of men.
B. Every Christian in this room needs to understand that when we lose
our saltiness and when we cease to function as salt in the world, then we too have become
good for nothing, and while we cannot lose our salvation, we can most certainly lose our
usefulness to the Lord and to His work. When this happens, we have become something to be
trodden upon and treated with contempt! When we are living for the Lord, men may not like
us, but there is often a certain respect for the stand we take and for the testimony that
we possess. When we allow our testimony to become tainted by sin and the world, then men
will walk upon our testimony and we become absolutely useless to the Lord as a vessel of
witness.
C. I do not know about you, but I do not want to wind up being cast out
as a vessel by the Lord. I would like for my life to be useful to Him. I would like for
Him to be able to use my life to bring others to Himself. I really would like to be a
blessing and a light for the Lord. I believe that every child of God in this auditorium
wants to be a salty Christian for the glory of God. (Ill. Paul knew that the potential
always existed for him to be a castaway - 1 Cor. 9:27. I see that potential in my life as
well, and I do not want that. How about you?)
Conc: As you consider your life this evening, can you honestly say that
your life is like salt in the world? There is a tremendous need for every Child of God to
be all that God wants them to be in these days. We have seen enough falsehood, hypocrisy
and weak living to do us, and the world, a lifetime. We need to be about the business of
purifying, preserving, penetrating, pleasing and promoting so that the Lord can use our
lives and our testimonies for His glory. God help us to be salty Christians.
