A Seasoned Christian
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another. - Mark 9:50
There are many Christians in our world today. And as Christians, we are called to show compassion, kindness, and love. We are to find favor for both God and men. But has trying to gain the favor of men caused us to lose our flavor? Today let’s meditate on the scripture verse in which Jesus said, "Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? What good is salt if it has lost its flavor?
An ancient king once asked his three daughters how much they loved him. One daughter said she loved him more than all the gold in the world. One said she loved him more than all the silver in the world. The youngest daughter said she loved him more than salt. The king was not pleased with this answer. But the cook overheard the conversation, so the next day he prepared a good meal for the king, but left out the salt. The food was so horrible that the king couldn't eat it. Then he understood what his last daughter meant. He understood the value of salt.
In the ancient world salt was a valuable and rare spice. It was so valuable that some countries used it as a currency. During an invasion of Ethiopia, in the late 19th century, Italian soldiers found salt blocks stored in bank vaults along with other familiar forms of currency. The scripture portion we will meditate on is when Jesus was talking to his disciples. He was paying them a high compliment when he called them salt. He was calling them valuable and rare.
But Jesus also asked, "What good is salt if it has lost its flavor, if it no longer seasons food?" Luke 14:34. There's no particular food value to salt on its own. It is only used to season food. Indeed, too much salt is dangerous as doctors tell us. But what value would salt have if it has lost its flavor? If it cannot season food anymore?
Consider the flavor-enhancing properties of salt. What are french fries without salt? They are very bland. In Biblical days, friendship and loyalty are sealed with salt. Why salt? Because the essence of salt is simple - it does not change. This is why salt symbolizes a long-lasting friendship and relationship between people. It is also a symbol of God’s everlasting love for us! “His love endures forever” - Psalms 136:1
Jesus is saying to his followers, both his disciples 2000 years ago as well as to us, "What good is it to be a follower of mine if there is nothing distinctive about your life? If you are not different from the world? If by following me you make no real contribution to separate yourself from the world, if there is no redemptive power flowing through your life and actions, what is the use of calling yourself my disciples?" Dear children of God, have we gained favor from men and lost our flavor? Let us meditate on three important elements that we must not lose christian flavor; our values, love, and faith.
I. Seasoned Values
Let your speech [be] always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. - Colossians 4:6b.
If our values are no better than our neighbor’s, then of what value is our faith? Because of how the world has changed, the lifestyle and line between being Christian and of this world has become more and more blurred. How many Christians in this country wake up for Sunday Service in the morning, and on the same day go out at night to get drunk?
There once was a sign on a church door that read: "The Ten Commandments are not multiple choice!" One sin does not have a greater or lesser value than the other. Let us read the verses that our Lord Jesus has given us. In order to preserve our flavor and our saltiness: "If your hand offends you; cut it off. If your eye offends you; pluck it out. It's better to go into heaven with one eye and one hand than into hell with both hands intact and both eyes intact."- Matthew 5:29-30. Jesus taught His disciples that the righteousness He called them for was far greater righteousness that exceeded that of the Pharisees. (Matthew 5:20). The righteousness that He has called us for is far greater than the pleasures of this world.
One pastor told a story of a neighbor whose barn had burned down. The entire community gathered to help rebuild it. The owner and some other men were told to fix the roof. They first cut a piece of roof tile and then traced around it with a pencil. They traced the second piece with the first piece, and they used the second piece to trace the third piece. The third piece was used for the fourth piece, the fourth piece was used for the fifth piece and so on. What they didn't take into account was the width of the pencil mark. Each piece was one pencil mark wider than the one before. And as they continued their tracing pattern, after a while, this added up to quite a difference. By lunchtime, they looked at the barn and discovered it was going up at a very strange angle and was starting to tilt. Although the pencil's width was very minute, it slowly caused a large difference in the end.
Do you not sense that, in our generation, the churches have also started to tilt? We compromise the gospel for each generation. Not by a lot, but by a pencil width for each generation. "It’s okay to skip church once in a while, it’s okay to not pray everyday, it’s okay if you don’t know memory verses, it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about your faith to others." This is how the church slowly falls away from the gospel; how Christians fall away from God; how salt loses its flavor. Do you see what is happening to our modern churches? Do you see how we have deviated from the original truth? Do you see how many Christians have accommodated themselves to the world and have lost their flavor? Of what value is our faith if our values are no better than our neighbors? Our values should reflect God and not this world.
II. Seasoned Love
For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt. - Mark 9:49.
What value is our faith if our capacity for love is no greater than our neighbor’s? Did you know there was a Guinness World record that was set for the fastest sermon. One priest stood up one Sunday morning, walked to his pulpit, stood there for a moment, and said the word: LOVE. Then he sat down. I know, some of you would love for me to also attempt a sermon like that some day. But although his sermon was short, it did teach what is at the heart of our faith: Love. The whole purpose of the Christian faith is to reveal to the world the love of God and to invite people to receive that love and to share it with others. Christian love is not only given by words of comfort, it is given by action. John 3:16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
John Killinger had a sermon entitled, “The Great Importance of Little Deeds.” He concluded the sermon saying, "It is an exciting thought that when we die and come into the presence of God, it will not be our only achievement that speaks for us. `He was president of a bank. She was the first woman senator from her state. He was the author of 22 books.' But the small thing that we forget. `He mowed my lawn when I was sick. She cared for my child when I went to the market. He sent me flowers when I needed them most. She washed and mended my socks.' These are the little things that hold the world together. They are the small stones that build the great church where God is worshiped. They shall be remembered," says Killinger, "like stars in the crown of the saints."
Many of us may have many huge accomplishments, but more than those God looks for the small kind actions that sometimes go unnoticed. The brothers and sisters who help clean the church, who spend time from their day praying for others, and who minister the love of God to others. Although these small acts of kindness may go unnoticed by people, they are stones that build the body of Christ, the stars on His crown. The world desperately needs to see our Christian love in action. What value is our faith if our love is not strong? Ask yourselves this in your hearts: How is our love for one another? How is our love for the world? Our love needs to be big enough to take in the whole world. If our love is not stronger than the love which the world carries, then what value is our Christian faith? Has our love lost its flavor? God wants us to show our love.
III. Seasoned Faith
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” - Matthew 5:13a.
As His creation, we are to enhance the beauty of the world around us; to season the land and food. Salt penetrates the meat to season it, just as light penetrates the darkness. We are called to be the salt and light unto the world. But what value is our Christian faith if the salt stays in the salt shaker? Here we are in the salt shaker this morning. All of us here worship God, and that is wonderful, but unless we take the gospel to the world outside, then what value does our salt have? Salt does not exist for its own good. Salt exists to season food and to add more flavor. Everyday, whether at work or at school, is an exciting time to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Because every moment we have to share the gospel is another day where the angels and God rejoice and sing praises in heaven. And in our generation, it's an exciting time to reach out to the world; to reach out with love and the gospel.
There was a postman in Louisville, Kentucky, who did not want to deliver some of his mail. Over a six year period, he stashed away 15 tons of letters in 1200 bags in the attic. When the mail was finally discovered, he was charged with delaying mail intended for delivery. A mail carrier's job is to make sure mail is delivered. What good is a mailman who does not deliver the mail? What good is salt if it doesn't season? What good is a Christian who keeps his Christianity within their own walls?
Therefore, do not keep your faith to yourself. Many may tell you not to talk about your faith, but God has called us to salt the land which He has blessed us with. Deliver His message of love and salvation. We are his messengers, but we cannot keep salvation among only ourselves. For what value is our Christian faith if the salt stays in the salt shaker?
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters, salt is often used to preserve the freshness of food. We season meat with salt to keep it fresh, we pickle fruits and vegetables by adding salt to prevent them from perishing. Salt sustains life. It signifies faithfulness. Likewise, Jesus Christ represents salt: He preserves life, sustains life, and is faithful to His promises to us. This is God's call to you: be salt where you are, with a higher standard FOR living not a higher standard OF living. A high standard of living will get you a nice car and house, but a higher standard for living will bring riches and glory from heaven. It is nice to afford a high standard of living, but a higher standard for living is much more important.
And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt. - Leviticus 2:13
In Leviticus, the Mosaic law teaches the free will offering of people came with salt. These offerings also included unleavened bread, birds, goats, sheep, and cattle. Furthermore, salt was always part of these free-will offerings to show that they represented a covenant - a promise. So make this promise to God. Separate your values from the world. Put the love of God into action. And share the Word of God to others. Have you been able to keep your flavor? Amen.
