Salt And Light - Making A Difference

Salt and light - Making a difference

Introduction: A Peanuts cartoon showed Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown in which she said, "Guess what, Chuck? The first day of school, and I got sent to the principal’s office. It was your fault, Chuck."

Charlie Brown responds, "My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?"

To which she declares, "You’re my friend, aren’t you, Chuck? Then you should have been a better influence on me."

There comes a time when the influenced must take responsibility for themselves rather than blaming the influencer. One of the things I have been praying for more and more is that the light would penentrate through the darkness of this world. As I go through this message I hope you will understand why and what that means.

We often speak about the evil and darkness that is around us and it's good thing too, we must acknowledge the present state of the world. As much as we detest wickedness growing in our culture, the world detests righteousness growing in it as well.But sometime you can tell what’s really going by your opponents reaction. It seems the world can smell a revival before the church does, and it will try everything it can to keep it from happening. They flaunt their wickedness trying to beat back the light. So we have a continuous struggle between righteousness and wickedness.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." -Eph 6:12

This may surprise you but as Christians we are called to struggle, Jesus said in John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." We are not called to struggle against people who are flesh and blood, our struggle is against the spreading infection of wickedness in world systems. Do you not think that Satan is behind abortion? Do you not believe that Satan is behind Homosexual marriage? Do you not think that Satan is pulling the strings to open up gateways to demonic possession through drugs? Can you not see that what the world is calling progressive is in truth normalizing immorality and forcing it on others?

Knowing the state of the world long ago, Jesus tells us to be the difference makers in this world. Our message comes out of Matthew 5:13-16. First He tells us to be the salt of the earth.

I. Being the Salt

"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." -Mt 5:13

Salt is used to give food flavor. Some of you know I collect vintage signs, gas pumps, coke machines and a variety of things mainly from the 30's -50's. I had the opportunity to visit a place Friday that was essentially an un-opened museum. A massive collection of old porcelain, paper, metal, neon signs, old visible gas pumps, old fans, taxidermy, barber poles, old toys, old pop machines, old neon clocks, old movie posters, old advertising pieces, oddities and on and on and on. And among these wonderful things was an old piece that had a little chef at the base of plastic display with a round space near his legs and a spiral chute that you would put a hard boiled egg at the top and watch it roll down where a spike at the end would crack the egg and beside it was a salt holder. So you would pay 5 cents and roll your hard boiled egg down the chute and then peel the shell and salt it and eat it.

In that day, the piece is worthless without the salt. The earth is worthless without the Christian flavor He sprinkles on it. But if we are no longer an influence to those around us, then what good are we? If our works were once alive but are now dead, if our disposition that was once zealous for God but is now unloving, if our words that were once anointed are now graceless and our gifts that were used for God's service are not being employed at all. What good are we?

All ministers must be the same outside the pulpit as they are behind it. All Christians must be the same on the sports bleachers as they are in the pew, they are the same in the company break room as they are in the church fellowship hall. You should in no way be a blemish on the character of Christ. Packs of starving wolves are always lingering around waiting for one of the Lord's sheep to fall so they can ravage it to satisfy themelves. How sad it is to see a minister full of fire and faith suddenly become the example that nay-sayers use to justify blasphemy.