Scripture: Matthew 5:13-20; Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Romans 12:1-2
Theme: Salt Lives
Title: Walking Talking Salt
1. Salt must be true to its nature – it must be salt
2. Salt to be true to its nature – it must give of itself fully
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Salt – In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus referred to those who wanted to follow Him that they needed to be not like salt but be salt.
Salt – What a rather odd metaphor – what an odd comparison and yet as we study it in more in depth what a great idea and symbol for the Christ led life.
Salt – Basically salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). It’s found everywhere on the planet. It’s necessary for life. At one time it was used for money; instead of a piece of silver or gold a bag of salt was used to trade goods.
Salt – What did Jesus mean when he referred to us – His followers as salt.
There are so many things that we could share this morning about salt – it’s properties and its uses. All of which can correspond to what it means to be a follower of Jesus. There are plenty of books, articles, devotions and sermons that cover all those things.
This morning, I simply want us to focus on two simple things before we come forward to receive Holy Communion.
I. Salt is only salt if it is salt – if it is true to its basic God given nature.
The nature of salt is simple. It is either salt or it is not salt.
Now, that is something to get our attention. Salt is either salt or it is not salt. There is no leeway here.
Either salt is salt – or it is not salt.
Those that heard Jesus’ words that day understood that fact.
We understand that fact. Either salt is salt, or it isn’t. It is just that plain. It is not obtuse or complicated. It is just a fact. Salt is salt, or it isn’t.
In a very similar way and this is where Jesus was going when He said those words - We are either going to follow God or we are not going to follow God. For those listening to Him that day – they would have naturally thought of the Great Shema – the words found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when your rise.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
The Jewish people knew in their hearts and lives that there was no middle ground. You were either a follower of God or you were not a follower of God. There was no such thing as being a little redeemed or being a little in love with God.
Jesus is reiterating that same thought. You are either salt – or you are not salt. You are either all in with God or you are not in with God.
It’s an ultimatum. It is a reality.
Whoever receives God’s life and understands the true nature of what it means to be a Christ follower has taken on the same character as salt. You are either in or you are not in.
There is no room for just tiptoeing from one side to the other side.
The Lord God Almighty does not expect us to adopt an attitude or a lifestyle that is not in accord to who we really want to be.
In other words, the LORD doesn’t expect us to follow Him if we don’t want to follow Him.
He doesn’t expect us to be His Salt unless we really want to be His Salt.
To become a believer; a Christ follower is not something that we do without some serious thought.
To many times throughout the history of the Church it has done its best to get people to follow Jesus just so that they could escape this place called Hell when they die. More times than not the Church has become Fire Safety Salespersons rather than Disciple Makers.
We tell people that they should allow Jesus to come into their hearts and lives so that one day they won’t have to burn in Hell.
Now, I can’t blame people who hear those things saying a few words thinking that just saying a few words or allowing themselves to be sprinkled with some water and suddenly everything is alright.
But that is not what we read about in the Bible.
Jesus is crystal clear from the start – Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
Jesus is crystal clear when he says here in verse 13 –
“You are the salt of the earth! But if salt becomes tasteless, how is it going to get salty again? It’s no good for anything. You might as well throw it out and walk all over it.” – verse 13
Those are some strong words – those are some words that say right up front – when you follow me – you really follow me. You do your best to follow me. When you stumble then let me help you up and we will carry on. When you get tired and weary lean on me.
But don’t think for a moment you can follow me without really wanting to follow me. Don’t think for a moment that you can be a disciple without committing yourself to doing your best to allow my Holy Spirit to lead you and guide you.
Salt by its own nature is different than anything that is around it.
All you have to do is taste it and you notice that it is different.
When it loses its natural saltiness then it becomes like all of that that is around it and it no longer serves the purpose for which it was created.
Salt that does not taste like salt does nothing to stop decay, add flavor to food or bring life to people.
In the same way – the Church can only be the Church when it finds it’s identity in Christ. And that means that it is different than the world around it. When the world and the Church become the same, then the Church cannot stop the decay of sin, it cannot add any flavor to the world and it cannot bring everlasting life to the people of the world.
We cannot for the sake of political correctness or popularity lose our saltiness. We cannot lose our identity and become like the world. We cannot follow Jesus and at the same time follow the world.
When we ask for forgiveness, when we allow the Holy Spirit to come into our lives, we have put down a spiritual salt line. We will be salt – we will allow the LORD to transform our very nature to be like Him.
It doesn’t mean that we are perfect, or that we don’t have room to grow, but it does mean that we have made a pivotal 180-degree shift in the way we will think, the way we will communicate and the way we will live.
I know this is strong stuff but if you have ever tasted real salt then you know that it packs a punch. It transforms your mouth. It changes the taste of whatever it is put on. It prevents and slows down decay.
We are salt – by our very nature we are salt. Spiritually that means by our very nature we are like Jesus – we have His Spirit – the Holy Spirit in us leading us, guiding us and transforming us.
That means that as a Church body – as individuals and as a collective group we have made the choice to be like Jesus. We have made the commitment to be Jesus to one another and to the world. We have made the commitment that we will be salt – we will be committed to be lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, Messiah and Savior of the World, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
II. Secondly, we have made the choice to be salt to all those around us.
Some years ago, I was teaching on this subject of being salt and I referred to people being like saltshakers. I asked them to imagine that they were a saltshaker.
One person in the class said that they would like to be a saltshaker that people put up on shelf and just admire. They wanted to be so unique and so special that people would just stop and look at their saltshaker. Perhaps they would even pick it up and want to have it in their home and on their shelves somewhere.
That person didn’t get the meaning of being a saltshaker. A saltshakers main task and it’s only true reason for being in existence is to be something that someone can put salt in and then shake salt out.
It is not something to just hold salt and look good.
You and I are to be salt – and the only way for us to be salt is for us to allow ourselves to be poured out.
This takes us back to Romans 12:1-2 – where the Apostle Paul reminds us:
“I appeal to your brothers and sisters by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Salt is only good when it is salt.
Salt is only good when it allows itself to be consumed.
Salt sitting in a corner or on a shelf is a good thing but just sitting there it is not changing its world. It is not bringing flavor to the world. It is not stopping decay. It is just sitting.
Salt is only good when it is true to its nature of being salt and when it is being used.
I remember growing up in Eastern Kentucky when it came wintertime we would have these big snow trucks that would drive all over the place and lay down a layer of salt when it came a big snow.
You could go by the Highway Department and see these huge mounds of salt piled up to be used in the wintertime.
There were a few times that the person over the Highway Department thought that they should keep a real tight hand on when and how much salt they would allow to be put on the roads. There were a few times that after a big snow no one could get out because they had either not put any salt out on the roads, or they had just put out a little bit of salt.
Not enough salt didn’t do the job. No salt being put out really didn’t do the job.
The same is true in the Church.
If we just allow our salt – ourselves to be put into beautiful little saltshakers for the world to see and admire then we are not really doing anything to change the world; to bring flavor to the world or to stop the spread of decay and death.
We just look good.
Unfortunately, that is what some churches are – they are just good-looking saltshakers.
Regrettably, that is what some followers of Christ have allowed themselves to become – just good-looking saltshakers.
They have salt – they have the nature of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus, but they just don’t share it or allow themselves to be poured out in the community around them.
That is the way some people live out their Christian life:
+They are saltshakers that don’t shake enough salt or have any salt at all.
+They go to work and no one knows that they are Christ salt because they never spill out some Christ salt so to speak.
+They go to school and keep their salt hidden and dry.
+When they are around family they keep their salt hidden and dry.
Salt is no good unless it is salt.
Salt is no good unless it allows itself to be poured out.
The more you read the Sermon on the Mount the more you realize that Jesus was making an explosion.
+Welcoming everyone into the Kingdom of Heaven
+And now He was reminding everyone that is of the Kingdom – Be Salt – Be Light – Be who God is making you and give pour yourself out for the world to taste and to see.
Don’t let your salt stay in your saltshaker. Pour yourself out – change the flavor of the world around you. Stop the decay and death of sin around you. Be a change agent.
This morning, I want to invite you to share Holy Communion.
As you come forward to receive the bread and the cup – ask the LORD to help you be His Salt to the World. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pour out your life; your witness so that others may see and understand what it means to be a Christ follower; a disciple. A disciple that lives a life so inviting, so victorious and so full of the Holy Spirit that like salt it brings flavor to the world around it, it helps stop the decay and death of sin and changes the very places where it exists.
Invitation to Holy Communion
Invitation to Prayer/Open Altar
