Salt Lick Series

SALT LICK

A STUDY OVER THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: PART VII (TOPIC: SALT)

INTRO: What is a salt lick (give time for answers)? Of course, a salt lick is a natural or manmade deposit of salt licked by animals. Why? Because animals love salt, they need it. Horses, cows, humans…all the animals need it.

NORSE MYTHOLOGY: According to Norse mythology, long before the world began, the Norse god Buri (the one whose lineage gave birth the gods including Odin), was once buried alive in a salt lick (some stories has it as a stone). It was at that time, the “divine cow named Audhumia” began to lick. On the 1st day, Buri’s hair appeared, on the 2nd it was his head, and on the 3rd day his body was free.

TRANSITION: That’s what we’re going to do. We are going to take this generation, frozen in their sin, and free them (of course we will be using God’s Word—not the tongue of an ancient Viking cow). So let’s continue on how we do that, by studying on how we can be Salt of the Earth.

BIBLE VERSE: Matthew 5:13

You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

1. MELTS ICE

WISCONSIN WINTER: This is where I tell some stories about growing up in Wisconsin, this may include frozen eyelashes on my paper route, or snowdrifts up to the top of the house that my brothers wanted to sled down, or seeing a December with over 50 inches of snow, or being in school in a -70 degree wind chill. Then, talk about salt piles. In Milwaukee, the city leaves giant buckets of salt all over, and leaves it up to the drivers to stop their cars, grab the mini-shovel, and drop it on the road (other teachers, you probably have your own ice melting story). Then transition to the story of Nicodemus, a man who was touched by Jesus and the salt that He produced.

BIBLE VERSE: John 3:1-10

3:1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, 3:2 came to Jesus at night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs that you do unless God is with him.” 3:3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born from above, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 3:4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter his mother’s womb and be born a second time, can he?”

3:5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the solemn truth, unless a person is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 3:6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 3:7 Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must all be born from above.’ 3:8 The wind blows wherever it will, and you hear the sound it makes, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

3:9 Nicodemus replied, “How can these things be?” 3:10 Jesus answered, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you don’t understand these things?

BILLY GRAHAM: Tells a story of how he got to a town one time to preach a bit early, and went to the post office to mail a letter. While there, he asked a young boy where the post office was, and after being told, invited the boy to service that night and told him if he came that “he would tell him how to get to heaven.” The little boy said he wasn’t going to go. When asked why, the boy told Billy Graham, how can I listen to you about how to get to heaven when you cannot even find the post office?

NICODEMUS: Nicodemus is a little like the little boy. Here’s the deal, Nicodemus is a Pharisee, but rather than challenge Christ, he was puzzled. He wanted to know how the miracles were being done, he wanted to know why this guy was able to have so many followers, he wanted…the salt, because Jesus made him more spiritually aware while in his presence.

BORN FROM ABOVE (ANWQEN): In the phrase “born from above,” the word “above” means anwqen, which can mean again, or from above. Obviously, Nicodemus uses incorrect which allows Jesus to teach a lesson using the technique of the “misunderstood question.” Born from above might just be the better of the two phrases, and this should lead into mention of salvation.