Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount Part 2
Called to be Salty
Matthew 5:13
Introduction
Did you know that salt is a miracle? It’s composed of 2 poisons: chloride and sodium. If you ingest either by itself, you’ll die. But put them together and you have common, ordinary salt, and that which used to bring death somehow comes together to bring life, and that’s a miracle!
So it is with the Christian life, poisoned by sin, with death looming in the shadows, but it’s confronted by the grace of God in the death of Jesus Christ, and those 2 negatives merge, my sin and the death of Jesus, to form a positive redemption!
There is so much in this verse, but the main point or the big idea in this verse in distinctiveness. Salt is distinctively different from the thing that you put it on. By nature and by purpose it is different. So are believers.
They are distinctively different by nature and by purpose. By nature believers are a new creation, born of God; by purpose believers are to penetrate and change the very taste of the earth. They are like salt. With that in mind, lets read the words of Christ and apply them in our personal lives tonight.
Read Scriptures: Matthew 5:13
I. The Character of a disciple is Salt.
Vs. 13 “You are the Salt of the Earth.”
As believers we are called and designed to be the salt of the earth. There are several things that can be said about salt that point out for us just what Jesus means.
1. Salt is distinctive. It is totally different from the food or item that you place it on. The power of Salt lies in the difference. Believers just like salt, are to be different from the world. The power of our lives and our testimony lies in us being different and distinctive.
2. Salt preserves. It keeps things from going bad and decaying. It cleanses and disinfects. Believers, just as salt, are to cleanse and preserve the world. Why hasn’t Gods holy fire of judgment rained down on our nation yet, because of believers praying and working keeping it from going totally bad.
3. Salt penetrates. It inserts a new quality, it brings the food alive, by penetrating the food. It changes it from being dull and bland to alive a tasty. As believers we to penetrate the world and insert new life into it.
4. Salt flavors. It influences the taste of things. Believers are flavor the world and influence it with Christ.
II. The place the disciple is to salt is the Earth.
Vs. 13 “You are the salt of the Earth.”
The world is the place where we are to move about and salt, or live and minister. Why? Because the world is bland and tasteless, decaying and rotting, corrupting and foul.
The issue before us is that too many believes live as though they are already in heaven: safe and secure from all harm. Our salt piles up in our churches and in our homes, we are called to go out, to salt the earth. We are not called to sit on the sidelines, we are called to go into the all the world. If we are going to have an effect on this community, then we need to be like the Morton salt girl and start spreading some salt.
III. The Mission of the disciple is to salt the Earth.
Vs. “You are the Salt of the Earth.”
If we are going to carry out this mission to salt the earth two things have to happen before we can truly carry out this mission.
1. I must have salt in myself. Mark 9:50 “Salt is good, but if it looses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.”
If I am going to salt the earth, I need to first check to see if I have any salt to give, I must check to see if I have ever been given salt. Remember salt is what makes you distinctive. Are you a believer, are you living out your Christian life according to the bible. Do you have any salt to give.
2. As believer we must spread out into the world. When as believers, we are scattered out into the world, our salt is necessary and useful. There is no salt, other than the salt of the believer that can salt the earth. The job and mission of salting the earth solely rest on the believer.
IV. The Danger of not Salting the earth is becoming useless and destructive.
Vs. 13 “But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.”
This is a very vivid picture of someone who we would call a backslider, a believer who loses his flavor and saltiness or testimony. Three things can be said about the backslider.
1. He becomes useless to the kingdom.
2. He is of no value in the kingdom.
3. He actually destroys the work of some out in the world by becoming a stumbling block. Once you have blown your witness before the world, it is virtually impossible to go back, that opportunity is lost.
This verse is also reminds us that as believers we will have to give an account when we loose our saltiness.
Conclusion
Are you storing up your salt or do you take advantage of your opportunities to pour it out. This world needs our salt, nothing else will do, give it away.
(Thanks sermoncentral contributors)
