Our Many Purposes As Salt Series

Our text for this morning is

Matthew 5:13-16

While you are turning there,

take a minute to think about salt.

What is its history?

What is its purpose... aside from tasting good.

Today we are going to explore those aspects and more

as we explore our

purpose in light of the call

God makes on us to be like the

Salt of this earth.

Let’s look at the Scripture together.

Matthew 5:13-16

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven

Both salt and light are used in this illustration to represent our actions on this earth.

The pastor in this illustration was not exactly a good example of either.

Salt

Today, we are going to focus on verse thirteen (13), which deals with salt.

AND unfortunately, in American society today, most of us, unless we paid attention in history class, the analogy made here using salt is lost on us.

Verse 13 (Matthew 5:13) tells us that we are the salt of the earth and that if we lose our savour, we do not have a purpose anymore.

As soon as you hear this, you may have had the same thought that flashed through my mind…

What is the purpose of salt?

Throughout most of the world’s history, salt has been used for three purposes: Flavoring, Preserving and Healing and it has almost always been valuable. Wars have been fought over it and, of course, it is essential to our bodies.

I’m sure at some point in your life; you’ve probably heard expressions like, “salt of the earth” or “not worth his salt” or used the word salary.

All of these things have to do with the value of salt.

Salt is used for Flavor

In America, the most obvious use for salt is adding flavor to our food. Almost everything we eat has sodium on the label. Processed meats, fast foods, and even canned vegetables are packed with it.

Hot sauce is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, 1 TSP of my favorite hot sauce is 10% of my daily allowance.

The same is true of religion in our society.

Many people think it is fine to pray before a meal or to thank God after winning an award, but if you start asking them to go to church with you every Sunday and most of them will change their tune.

They think that just like those who use too much salt in their food, going to church and becoming salt and light will give them high blood pressure, WHEN, IN FACT, just the opposite is true.

There have been several studies which indicate that those who attend church at least three times per month not only tend to have blood pressure which is a few points lower than those who do not, but many of them also live longer as well!

Make sure to throw that into the conversation somewhere the next time you invite someone to church.

Another attribute of salt is that it is valuable.

Salt is Valuable

Although I do not have any stock or anything with the Morton Salt Company, I can say that I really enjoyed reading the history of salt which was presented on their website. (http://www.mortonsalt.com/salt-facts/salt-history if you would like to check it out later.)

It Says…

“The first written reference to salt is found in the Book of Job, recorded about 2,250 BC. There are 31 other references to salt in the Bible, the most familiar probably being the story of Lot’s wife who was turned into a pillar of salt when she disobeyed the angels and looked back at the wicked city of Sodom.”

All things considered, they did pretty good. In fact, if I didn’t already have two containers of salt which my wife uses for cooking, I probably would have gone out and bought a package, just on a matter of principle.

The Scripture they reference in Job comes from Chapter 6 verse 6.

Job 6:6 6 Can that which is unsavoury be eaten without salt? or is there any taste in the white of an egg?

He seems as though he would get along just fine in America.

This website goes on to explain that the expression “He is not worth his salt” is a common expression which originated in ancient Greece where salt was traded for slaves.