Salt

SALT

MATTHEW 5:13

SEPTEMBER 29, 2002

Parkersburg Baptist Church

WHAT IS SALT? IT IS A PRESERVATIVE, IT CAN ALSO BE USED TO PURIFY. IT IS AN ANTISEPTIC THAT MAKES THINGS CLEAN.

SALT IS VALUABLE. SO VALUABLE AT ONE POINT THAT IT WAS USED TO PAY A PORTION OF A ROMAN SOLDIERS SALARY.

HOW MANY OF YOU HAVE GOTTEN A CUT ON YOUR FINGERS OR HANDS, OR PERHAPS A PAPER CUT ON YOUR LIP. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SALT HITS THAT WOUND. IT BURNS, IT IS HELPING TO CLEAN THE WOUND. IT IS PURIFYING IT.

SALT ALSO GIVES FLAVOR TO THINGS?CHIPS, FRENCH FRIES, HAM, FAT BACK. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU EAT A LOT OF THESE THINGS? YOU GET THIRSTY. SALT MAKES PEOPLE THIRSTY.

? Illus. Killing Hogs on the Eller?s farms. Salt down fat back and hams. (THE SALT HAD TO COVER EVERY INCH; KEEP THE FLIES FROM RUINING THE MEAT.)

FOLKS, JESUS CHRIST SAID THAT YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH. THEREFORE WE AS CHRISTIANS ARE A PRESERVATIVE, WE ARE A PURIFYING AGENT, THAT SHOULD BE HELPING TO MAKE THINGS CLEANER.

CHRISTIANS ALSO ADD FLAVOR TO THE WORLD AROUND THEM.

BUT MOST OF ALL CHRISTIANS SHOULD MAKE THOSE AROUND THEM THIRSTY FOR THE THINGS OF CHRIST, AND THIRSTY FOR SALVATION.

HOWEVER IN THIS DAY AND AGE, WE FIND MORE AND MORE THAT THE SALT OF THE EARTH HAS LOST IS SAVOR.

CHRISTIANS HAVE LOST THEIR BACK BONE. THEY HAVE LOST THEIR SAVOR. THEY ARE TOO TOLERANT OF EVIL ACTIVITY AND SIN AROUND THEM. AND IN SO DOING THEY DESTROY THE WITNESS OF THEMSELVES AND OF THE CHURCH.

IN JESUS? DAY SALT WAS NOT AS PURE AS IT IS NOW A DAYS. WHEN IT CAME IN CONTACT WITH SOMETHING THAT CONTAMINATED IT, IT LOST ITS SAVOR AND WAS GOOD FOR NOTHING SO IT WAS LITERALLY THROWN INTO THE STREETS.

TODAY, CHRISTIANS ALLOW CONTAMINATES TO COME INTO THEIR LIVES, AND IN THE SAME WAY THEY LOSE SALTINESS, THEY LOSE THEIR SAVOR; AND THEY ALSO LOOSE THEIR EFFECTIVENESS FOR CHRIST.

WITH THE FAT BACK, ONE POCKET ON THE MEAT WITHOUT SALT, COULD RUIN THE ENTIRE SIDE OF MEAT. AMERICA IS IN THE SAME BOAT TODAY.

POCKETS OF INFECTION, POCKETS OF THE COUNTRY WHERE CHRISTIANS HAVE LOST THEIR SAVOR HAVE CREATED INFLUENCES IN OUR SOCIETY THAT ARE CAUSING THE WHOLE COUNTRY TO GO DOWN THE DRAIN.

IF IT CONTINUES, OUR COUNTRY WILL BE THROWN OUT IN THE STREET OF THE WORLD TO BE TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT OF ALL MEN.

NOW LET?S TALK ABOUT OUR OWN LITTLE PIECE OF THE COUNTRY.

HOW MANY OF US IN THIS ROOM HAVE LOST OR HAVE STARTED TO LOSE OUR SAVOR? HOW MANY OF US HAVE LOST OR HAVE STARTED TO LOSE OUR EFFECTIVENESS AS A WITNESS FOR CHRIST?

HOW MANY OF US MAKE PEOPLE THIRSTY ANY MORE?

HOW MANY OF US JUST DON?T CARE ANYMORE? OR AS RHETT BUTLER, IN GONE WITH THE WIND PUT IT, FRANKLY I JUST DON?T GIVE A _________.

NOW, HOLD ON A MINUTE, THE PREACHER ALMOST SAID A CUSS WORD.

WELL LET ME TELL YOU I DID THAT ON PURPOSE. YOU SEE, MANY OF YOU MAY BE MORE CONCERNED OVER WHAT I ALMOST SAID, THAN YOU ARE OVER THE LOST SOULS AROUND US THAT ARE DYING AND GOING TO HELL WITHOUT JESUS CHRIST.

PREACHER I DON?T KNOW HOW TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT JESUS.

I THINK ONE OF THE GREATEST TESTIMONIES OF YOUR WITNESS FOR CHRIST IS NOT WHEN YOU TELL SOMEONE YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN.

THE GREATEST TESTIMONY IS WHEN THEY APPROACH YOU AND ASK IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN BECAUSE OF THE WAY YOU ACT AND LIVE IN FRONT OF THEM. FOLKS THAT IS FLAVOR! THAT IS BEING SALTY! THAT IS MAKING SOMEONE THIRSTY.

THAT CAN ALSO BE THE BEGINNING OF A DEEP INNER THIRST, IF THAT PERSON IS LOST OR OUT OF FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.

WHY IS THE CHURCH TRAMPLED UNDERFOOT TODAY? WHY ARE THE GAY AND LESBIAN GROUPS, THE ACLU AND COUNTLESS OTHERS GAINING GROUND FOR THE CAUSE OF SATAN, AS THE CHURCH SEEMS TO LOSE GROUND FOR CHRIST?

IT IS BECAUSE WE CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN SO INFLUENCED BY THE WORLD INSTEAD OF ALLOWING OURSELVES TO BE INFLUENCED BY CHRIST THAT WE HAVE LOST OUR SALTINESS, WE HAVE LOST OUR SAVOR, WE HAVE LOST OUR EFFECTIVENESS FOR CHRIST.

WE DON?T MAKE PEOPLE THIRSTY FOR CHRIST ANYMORE.

IN ORDER FOR SALT TO FLAVOR SOMETHING WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN? IT HAS TO GET OUT OF THE SHAKER RIGHT? IT HAS TO COME IN CONTACT WITH IT TO SHARE IT?S FLAVOR.

LET?S LOOK AT THE CHURCH AS A BIG SALT SHAKER FOR A MOMENT. THE SALT IS IN THERE BUT IT DOESN?T GET SHAKEN OUT MUCH. IT DOESN?T MAKE CONTACT WITH ANYTHING BUT EACH OTHER, SO IT CAN?T SPREAD IT?S SAVOR.

NOW IF SALT STAYS IN A SHAKER LONG ENOUGH, AND IS EXPOSED TO TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY DIFFERENCES, IT CLUMPS AND LOSES FLAVOR.