Pass the Salt, Please!
Matthew 5:13
November 3, 2002
Introduction
Did any of you get the chance to shine the light into people’s lives this last week? I hope so.
Last week we talked about being the light of the world. Today we are going to look at being the salt of the earth. Our Scripture passage is in the same area as last weeks, so it will be easy to find.
But before we get there, I want to ask you a question. Have you ever heard someone described as “salt of the earth?” “That guy’s just the ‘salt of the earth.’”
Heard that?
The basic gist of that phrase is that the person was respected as someone people liked and could count on.
So let me ask you another question: can someone describe you that way? Can they call you “the salt of the earth?”
I hope that someday I might be described that way by people. Whether they like me or not, I hope that people will consider me someone worthy of respect and someone who could be counted on, especially when it would not benefit me.
How about you? Would you like that for your life? Would you like others to have that kind of respect for you?
Our Scripture passage discusses our need to be “salty” to the world around us, and I hope that by the end of our time together you will be motivated to become a salty person.
I have printed our passage in your bulletin. So follow along as I read Matthew 5:13.
MT 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. 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.
And just to give us a little context, let me read the next three verses:
14 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
This is near the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount. He had just finished giving the Beatitudes, then He launches into the salt and light thing here.
I think Jesus used these analogies together for a reason. Jesus was the Master of using word pictures to communicate truth. Everyone listening understood what Jesus was trying to communicate. They all knew about salt and light, so Jesus’ use of these common elements of life only served to help them understand what Jesus wanted here.
I hope that you will leave here today understanding as well, and more than that, I hope that you will leave here determined to be a person who is “salty” to the world around us.
Let’s move right into the outline, okay? First, I want to look at …
I. Three Functions of Salt:
I visited the website for The Salt Institute, and they say that there are over 14,000 known uses for salt. And we are going to look at every single one of them.
I figure that we should be done with this series by about April 2015.
Actually, we are going to look at just three uses, so you can quit panicking.
But before we get into the basics of the message, let me share with you some of the uses I found at the website.
Listen to this:
Removing pinfeathers from chickens; removing perspiration and blood stains; treating mosquito and chigger bites; invigorating goldfish; deodorizing shoes; making mini-volcanoes; and removing tattoos. Important safety tip: do not try this at home!
Some of you may have thought of other uses, like melting slugs or something.
Well, let’s get to the functions we are looking at today. The first is that salt…
A. Enhances Taste.
I’m willing to guess that most of us here today put salt on our food at one time or another.
I’m not a huge salt guy. I like it on French Fries, but not much else. By that I mean that I don’t add salt much.
But I’ve seen people who add salt like they think it’s one of the four basic food groups, right behind pizza and chocolate.
But why do we add salt? Is it out of religious conviction? I’m not aware of anything in the Bible or even the Wesleyan Discipline.
No – it’s because it helps the food taste better, right?
Well, in terms of the Christian life, one of our functions is to enhance the taste of Christ and His church in our society.
Christians and the church live in the midst of a lot of distrust toward religion in general, and the Christian church in particular.
If people know you attend church, and that Jesus means more to you than a word someone says when they hit their thumb with a hammer, then let them see how wonderful a relationship with Jesus Christ tastes.
The Bible says we should taste and see that the Lord is good. And we should be the salt that enhances that taste.
Be a positive example of a relationship with Christ.
Next, salt…
B. Aids in Preservation.
You remember hearing that salt was added to meat to keep it from spoiling?
Do they still do that?
Anyway, salt preserves. I mentioned the website for the Salt Institute, and they say that it prevents browning of apples and molding of cheese.
And the point here is that we Christians are to aid in preserving the gospel of Christ, and we do that by living lives that reflect a love for the Savior, and by spreading the message of forgiveness and eternal life in Jesus.
We also do that by passing on that love for God and His Word to others, especially our children.
The last function of salt I want to mention is that it…
C. Creates Thirst.
You know that’s true, don’t you? Just eat a handful of potato chips, and you’re reaching for the water or pop.
Can you imagine eating a hamburger and fries and not having something to drink with it?
Some of you want a drink right now, just thinking of it, don’t you?
You’ve probably heard the saying that “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”
But you can put some salt in his oats. So how do that?
By being someone who refuses to live up to the negative stereotypes of Christians and the church.
Shake up people’s impressions of empty-headed Christians who don’t know how to think for themselves.
Learn to ask questions that help people re-think their preconceived notions, and guide them to resources for the answers.
Just the other day Debra and I were talking about one of her relatives, and the possibility of conversing with this fellow who does not love God.
She said she wasn’t sure what to tell him about loving God. So I suggested that rather than tell him what he ought to think or believe, she should ask him questions about what he believes.
Dr. Jeffery Meyers, of Bryant College in Tennessee, and an instructor at Summit Ministries has something he calls the “Four Deadly Questions” he asks people who don’t follow Christ:
“What do you mean (or “mean by that)?” “How do you know that’s true?” “Where do you get your information?” “What if you’re wrong?”
I love those questions. But don’t ask them unless you’re willing to listen and develop a response to them.
The idea is to challenge popular notions of belief, to challenge them to consider their sources, and to challenge them to consider the truth of Scripture.
Be well-read so you can have a knowledgeable conversation on issues that go beneath the surface.
Show people that a faith in Jesus is a reasonable faith, that doesn’t require someone to check their brain at the door in order to believe in.
Be a person other people like to be around, and then when you are asked what makes you tick, you can give them a reason for the hope you have, as 1 Peter tells us to do.
Salt enhances taste, aids in preservation, and it creates thirst. We can do the same as we look to bring the gospel to our society.
Well, it’s obvious that Jesus wants us to be salty. I had intended to just talk about the functions of salt, and expand on these.
But then I realized that He also talks about becoming unsalty. In fact, He talks about being “unsalty” more than He does about being salty here. So let’s take a look at…
II. Dangers of becoming “unsalty.”
Let’s look again at the verse:
MT 5:13 "You are the salt of the earth. 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.
Let’s take a look at just three dangers. And I’d be willing to bet, if I were a betting man, that you will be able to think of examples of all these.
A. We become ineffective in ministry.
It’s hard to reach people who have no respect for you, both individually and as a church.
Pretty soon that bunch, whether it’s a church, or other sort of ministry group just becomes a clique, not bringing in new people, and just waiting for the rest to die off or just leave.
I know that’s not what you want for this church. You like the fact that God is beginning to stir us to action for Him, effective service to Him and His kingdom.
The next danger of being “unsalty” is…
B. We gain a damaged reputation.
The book of Proverbs says that a good name is worth more than great riches.
A damaged reputation reaches far and wide, probably even farther and wider than a good reputation.
If you have a reputation for cheating on your taxes, than few if any people will listen to you on issues of integrity.
If you treat your wife or husband badly, especially in public, you will have a hard time convincing anyone you are a good family person.
And if you talk a good talk about loving Jesus, but you’re mean to your co-workers or employees, or you live a lifestyle that is clearly forbidden by God, then you get a reputation that is not very nice.
I had a boss in Florida, at the restaurant I worked in, who professed to be a born-again Christian. He said all the right stuff, and even told people about how to go to heaven. All the employees would tell you that he called himself a Christian.
The problem was that he often showed up at the restaurant after having a few too many drinks.
Now let me be quick to say that the issue isn’t that he drank. The issue is that he was not sober. And when he arrived at the restaurant, the employees would begin to talk about the hypocrisy they saw in this guy who claimed to be a “man of God,” but couldn’t hold his liquor.
His reputation among the employees made him “unsalty,” and they would not have listened to him about anything on a spiritual level, because they saw that it made no difference for him in his personal life.
We all know the stories of different televangelists who fell into sin, and have lost their reputations and ministries because of it.
Let me ask you an important question: If a person has become “unsalty,” can they become “salty” again?
I think that the answer is yes. Itss hard, though not impossible, to restore the ministry of a person who has become unsalty.
Yes – by repentance and restoration.
Gordon MacDonald, who as president of Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, had an affair that lasted a long time.
When it was discovered, he resigned his post and sought counseling. He repented of his sin, and dropped out of ministry in order to restore his marriage.
His repentance was genuine, and his courageous wife, Gail, stood with him.
After some time, Mr. MacDonald returned to ministry, this time in a pastoral ministry.
He has written some books that detail the pain he and his wife endured during this time.
But the bottom line is that because he had the right attitude toward repentance and restoration, God allowed him to become “salty” again, and he has a fruitful ministry.
Jim Bakker is once again in fruitful ministry, because God broke him , causing him to repent. He is now part of an inner-city church in the Los Angeles area.
But folks, it’s a lot easier to keep a ministry salty than it is to make it salty once it becomes unsalty.
A third consequence of becoming unsalty is that…
C. We tarnish the image of the Church.
For an example of this, all I have to say is “Catholic priest and small boys.”
Because of the growing scandal in the Catholic church, people have become distrusting of priests, most of whom would never do such a horrible thing.
The Catholic church will be dealing with this for the next century or better, unless the Lord returns first.
The televangelist scandals brought a lot of mistrust toward ministers in general. Many people thought that all ministers were just in it for the money.
So when they tried to minister, the response a lot of times was, “and what’s the catch? How much will this ‘ministry’ cost me?”
The Church is still trying to shake off the legacy of the Crusades, harsh treatment of minorities (esp. blacks and Indians).
And there are people who will still look at the Church with a jaundiced eye, filled with mistrust.
If the Church hopes to get past all the trouble it’s brought on itself, then the church needs to be filled with “salty” people.
So let’s look at how we can be salty.
III. How to be “salty.”
A. Commit to becoming a person God can use.
Notice I didn’t say “decide” to become a person God can use. Commit to it. Make a conscious submission to God and His purposes.
Tell God that you are His completely and without reservation. And let His Word dwell in you richly, so you can deepen your love for Him, and learn His will for you.
Romans 12 tells us that we are not to live anymore according to the patterns of the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, so we can figure out the will of God.
This comes by saturating your mind with the Word of God.
And if you do that, asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand and make it real in your life, then you will be someone God will have no problem keeping busy in touching the lives of other people, not matter where you are.
Second…
B. Live a life of integrity.
This pretty much goes without saying, considering what we just discussed about becoming unsalty.
Lives filled with integrity attract people like a magnet. They wonder what makes you tick, and want what you have.
And this shines loudest in times of temptation and trial.
How you handle temptation and trial shout louder than all the words you can say.
Do you flee from temptation or just rush into it because you are so convinced of God’s forgiveness that you forget that it grieves the heart of God?
When trials come, do you fret and worry excessively, or do you take your concerns to God, asking for wisdom and His intervention, especially if the circumstances are outside of your control?
Believe me, people are watching, and closer than you think.
As you become committed to being a person God can use and start living a life of integrity, then…
C. Ask God for opportunities to minister.
Ask God to put people in your life who need a touch from God, whether it’s a need to know how to get to heaven, or maybe just a hand on the shoulder that tells someone you’re praying for them.
Maybe it will be someone who just needs a bite to eat or some clothes to keep them warm.
This is ministry, as surely as preaching the gospel, folks.
Find a need and ask God to help you meet it in His name. When people ask you why you’re doing it, simply say that you believe Jesus would do the same thing.
But let me give you a quick word of warning here. If you are going to ask God for opportunities to minister, you’d better mean it.
Because I’ll guarantee that God will bring people into your life, and you will be expected to shine the light into that person’s life and be salty, too.
Don’t flippantly ask. Ask expecting it to happen, asking God to shine through you to touch that life in His wonderful way.
There are thousands of people in our area that need a touch from God. Allow yourself to be part of that touch, okay?
Conclusion
Have any of you been to the Dead Sea in Israel? It is also called the Salt Sea, because it is so filled with salt.
In light of our message this morning, you’d think that was a good thing.
But the reason it is call the Dead Sea is because it is so full of salt that nothing can live in it.
So what’s you’re point here, Brian?
What I’m saying is that we are not to be like the Dead Sea. We are to be salt that rather than becoming stagnant, gets used.
We all have salt shakers at home. Well, let me ask you another question: what good is salt that stays in the shaker?
It doesn’t do any good, right? Well if we are the salt of the earth, if God wants to use us to enhance the taste of God and His Church, if God wants to use us to preserve His church and His Word, and if God wants to use us to create a thirst for the things of God and His Word, then we need to get out of the salt shaker!
Let Him make your life salty, and let that saltiness impact the lives of those around you for the sake of God and His kingdom.
Let’s pray.
