The Salt of the Earth
Key Points
Jesus preaching on the mountain
Tells his followers that “You Are”
We are Salt and Light
Its not negotiable, not a “gifting” to be claimed or ignored
Its not earned or as a reward
Its not a denominational calling
If Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, you are
We are
We are Salt and Light
So we will not lose our saltiness or hide the light that shines bright
We are!!
Salt and Light
Consider Salt
Salt is a key component of life, we all have about of 120 grams salt in each of us, necessary for our bodies to function, muscles to work, blood to circulate, food to digest you get the idea essential
That’s why sick people get saline (salt solution) infusions
Salt also flavours, seasons, preserves and purifies, very important compound is salt, nearly as vital as water
Consider Light
Light, without it is darkness
Without it is a lack of vision a not seeing
Plants would cease to be, life on this planet would not be without light
Darkness does not nourish, light brings life, light brings vision, light brings hope and warmth
Salty
What does Jesus mean here to be like salt, the salt of the earth?
Have you ever drunk salt water, I remember one instance particularly vividly,
Think of Deal beach in Kent in England, on a sunny winters afternoon, crisp and clear
I was five and running fast away from my parents, just did not understand the word stop. As I ran I was just trying to get around that long wooden things called a breakwater, just wanted to run through that puddle on the end, it only looked to be an inch deep and ran into it and whoosh, down I went, tried to breath and got a lung full of salt water disgusting, then I remember looking up seeing a giant hand come down and yank me out, boy was I sick, relieved and happy, for my Fathers hand saving me, but I could not even smell seawater for a long while after that without feeling sick
Ever got salt or sea water in a cut, you know when you do it stings, I mean really stings, cut myself on the rocks fishing recently I can testify to this it stung!
So did Jesus mean were to make people sick, nauseated by our presence and sting them into submission, we have ways of making you believe…type salt?
No that’s not it
Think of food and its flavour and preservation, that’s the key here, that’s why salt was a very precious commodity in time Jesus was speaking, highly valued for it properties
Thrown on the manure heap if it lost its salty ness, worthless salt
Salty truth
As few weeks ago I was again up at the gym exercising for a few hours, burning thousands of calories, don’t worry I have many to burn!
Smug in my amazing prowess I made my way to my locker to change
Passing a young lad and his father, I hear the lad say to his dad “look that man has those bits like mummy!”
That’s truth salty style, no sugar to make it more acceptable, the truth as it is
The lads dad nearly sat on the poor boy to shut him up, after all as the youth had observed I am somewhat large!
Christians need to tell the truth, we know what is in the bible we know what would please Jesus and what would not, we should tell the truth with judgement and discernment, we are not called to cause hurt or pain we share in the Sprit of love and life
We need to show the truth in our lives, the purity in our hearts and ways of being
Flavour and Preservation
Jesus tells us we are the salt of the earth, salt brings out flavour in food and preserves it
So what flavour do you imagine yourself as them, if we were to “taste” you (in the biblical sense of course) so to speak what would it be?
Sweet, Sour, Spicy, nothing, a lingering taste developing slowly into something exotic and wonderful or a sharp bitterness
What would it be?
Me, well it depends on me unfortunately, rarely sweet in the true sense of the word, more often than I would like more of a bitter note that would not stimulate another bite! Or be an acquired taste, as Mena my wife will no doubt testify very acquired on occasion
Jesus is calling believers to carry his flavour to the world, his character, what’s that like you should ask
The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, turning away from our sinful natures, that’s the taste of Jesus
Jesus gets involved, reaches out and touches the sick, the unclean, challenges the spirit of religious in-tolerance with love, acceptance and inclusion, that the taste of Jesus
Consider the fruits of the spirit, the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in every believer working outwards, first purifying the believer inside then out, then through the believer out to those around, its not just for us who believe, its also for those who are yet to believe
Once you are saved you are saved, but we need to become like the taste of Jesus for people yet to know him to meet with him when they meet us, its not for believers as such but for the yet to believe
But what if we will not turn from the sin, what if we cling to the ways spoken of in Galatians, of sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like,
Even a little sin will mean that we do then loose the saltiness, the ability to flavor and purify like Jesus does and can and will do through us if we let him?
The whole of humanity is the food that needs the flavour and purification of Jesus
Needs the salt of Christ to reach its fullness, needs the salt of Christ to preserve it
I can see a picture of a giant salt shaker being sprinkled out on the communities around it bringing flavour, bringing preservation, the fullness and character of Christ
Trying to preserve humanity, community, decency, love, respect for all, for God so loved the world, not just the Christians, the world, he loves all of humanity in all of its ways, all we are called to go to and share the good news of Jesus, the flavour of Jesus to all corners of the world, ALL
We should know this vision as Church
Do we?
Church
Church if you like is the salt cellar or should be the salt spreader, spreading the salt around the community
We need to make sure that church is a place people want to come to
Encourage our young and old to show the world that they are enjoying life, living it, happy with it, carry a yoke the burdens lightly
Without compromising Jesus and Gods sovereignty
We need to be fully human under the authority of God to be like Jesus, free in his freedom
We should engage in community not turn inwards in some Holy huddle and wonder why no one comes
Its not about numbers either, its about a kingdom and a king who loves all, a true story of good versus evil and good winning
It means treating all we meet as the are, precious to God, created in his image, irreplaceable, unique and wonderful creations
It means that we live as were are unconditionally loved, loved for all our ways and faults, all our sins and failings loved and forgiven, how can we not do the same to others as God does for us?
It means we smile to strangers, we radiate warmth, hospitality, inclusiveness, love and it is not an act it is from the inward / outward workings of the Holy Spirit and the Spirits fire and love, making us all ever like Jesus, step by step, breath by breath
Churches then are places were the dead are brought back to life
Were the sick in sprit are healed for eternity
Were the depraved can become Holy and divine
Were God does business and lives with his people, the heart of community not the periphery, seen blazing bright not hidden
A place that people want to come to not out of duty but need, hunger, want a place of purification, preservation and flavour a place of salt and light
Light
He also called us to be light, a light to the world
Jesus is the light the darkness knows not and never will
Jesus brings hope and love into situations of despair and hate
Jesus never hide his light, it was there for all to see its there for us today
Brighter than ever
The more we look to Jesus the more of his light we see the more radiant we will be
We do not receive this light to hide it
We do not receive this light for our own benefit, it is for others, best think of believers as mirrors, some more polished than others perhaps I believe the more surrended we and our lives are to Jesus the more polished the mirror
We are all called to reflect the light of Jesus into the darkness of the world around us, so lets make sure we are a shiny mirror surrendered and polished
To bring Christ’s light and salt to purify the world, this is our task
Let there be light
We are the light of the world, the light of the cosmos, the light of creation, life itself
Amazing, do you feel like that on a Monday morning while shopping or at work?
Well you should remember the light in you and just let it shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven
Remember we are here to bring glory to God
I often fly, many a night has been spent on high crossing another continent in the darkness, then suddenly a light a glimmer, a glow a beacon down below a sign of life in the darkness, a hope pierces the dark, a visible light shining bright and clearly seen
Is the light of Christ visible to those around us?
Or do you hide it to save embarrassment, ridicule, rejection and abandonment?
Losing the saltiness, shining the light
What does this mean to lose the saltiness
I think its like the church in Laodicea, given the warning in Revelation 3, about lukewarm ness, the dangers of being passed over by God, becoming disgusting to him, grieving the Holy Spirit
This can happen to individuals as well as churches
So lets make sure that we live and act as salt and light, pleasing God and loving our neighbours
That we bring a purifying and cleansing element in our interactions with others we let the light shine forth
We speak out if the language is bad, we tell of polluting ways that destroy lives, families and communities, we bring salt and light
We let people see what a Christian is like, we do as we say, act as we preach, live as we expect others to live
A great story I heard that illustrated this was:
A young newly wed couple with a young baby moved into a densely populated block of flats in a run down inner city place. They had a terrible first night the child would not settle and screamed out loud all night long, the young mother could hear the neighbours windows slamming as she walked back and forth with the screaming child in the early hours. Eventually the wind passed and the baby slept. The next morning as the mother was coming out of her door, her neighbour an older lady walked out. The young mother braced herself for a cutting remark, a stern rebuke and a lecture in baby care. The neighbour approach and spoke “you must be exhausted after that sleepless night. Would you like to come next door for a cup of tea?”, the young mother did. The older Christian lady became a great friend and a blessing to the young family. From a simple act of hospitality the seeds of salvation were sown. The older lady had the joy of witnessing the harvest as the young couple turned to Jesus
Our good works are not performed so that we get the credit, we do them so God gets the credit
So lets make sure that every aspect of our lives reflects the light of Jesus
Were Would Jesus Be?
Were was the light at the bottom of an underground tunnel on July 07th
Was it the flash of a bomb or was it that of love in the kindness and compassion of those that knelt in the darkness and in the midst of the screaming and crying, with blood-soaked hands holding the dying and tended the wounded reaching out in compassion and love in the depths of hell, the light the darkness knows not
Some might choose to run away full of fear and confusion, judge them not till it is your turn others turn back to the hurt, back to the dark, carrying the light carrying the salt to purify the wounds, to bring healing and hope, love and kindness, compassion and acceptance
In the midst of evil good can and will grow forth, as this is Gods heart that it would do so, it’s the way of his son Jesus
He who took death for others so that they might be saved, died for the innocent, died for me, died for you, died for the suicide bomber, died for all with out exception, he calls on all who believe and have faith in him to carry his light and his hope to the world, give all the chance to find Jesus
Those in Christ should not be fearful we know the Lord God, we are part of his family, he is with us whatever comes, so we will be strong and compassionate
We will not leave the dying sinner, we will not leave the hungry, we will not leave the unprotected, we will forgive the murderer, we will reach out to the ones full of hate
We will let Christ’s light shine in the darkness for all to see
In this world of hurt, in this world of pain were would Jesus be
He’s in an underground tunnel, he’s in a shattered bus, he’s in the cancer ward, he’s in the prison, he’s walks with the prostitutes, touches the sick and unclean, he embraces the AID’s victim as the last breath is drawn
Jesus would be there in the midst of it all, involved and giving all he could to help the poor, the suffering, the afflicted the un-loved, letting them know he loves them, he loves them all
So should we then
One of the affects of the London bombings for me has been to make me realise how precious people actually are, pray to see them through God’s eyes, and the thought that one minute they are here and the next blown away without possibly learning of Jesus or receiving even a small compassionate smile or courtesy from a believer is horrific, we make sure are attitudes are focussed on eternity not today’s issues, think of the eternal next time you catch a train, walk a crowded street, think of those that have yet to know Jesus and let the Spirits fire consume you with a passion that will change you and those around you forever and ever
What of Us?
Do we bring salt and light
We should bring the seasoning of the gospel, a message of love
We need to walk with Jesus and be like him, bringing his Kingdom
Practically we need to find time to be with him by studying the bible, time in prayer, seeking his presence, asking the Holy Sprit to make us like Jesus, surrendering to his will, knowing his guidance and following his will, you can only do these things if you spend time pursuing the Lord, no short cuts
Then as you walk this earth, remember God loves everyone you see or hear about, I do mean everyone
So should we
Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly
Next time you don’t season or bring light, consider those whom have missed the opportunity to be flavoured, preserved and brought into the light not to be to dramatic but it could have been their last opportunity
Remember the great commission we are to bring salt and light to all and the more we look to Jesus the more his light reflects into this world
We are the worlds light, we are the salt of the earth use them to purify, preserve and bring flavour to the lives around you, do not hide the light or not share the salt shaker, empty yourself and you will be filled again, and again and again
Shine as a light before others, so that they might see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven
Lets us be living like Jesus and sharing him to advance the kingdom
Amen
