(This Sermon was preached at Eastview Baptist Church during the
Morning Service on October 12, 2003.
All Scripture references used in this sermon are based upon
the NKJV®, unless otherwise stated)
| This work was written and submitted by: Joseph M. Willmouth, Pastor of Eastview Baptist Church, Kentucky. This contributed article is copyright protected, and the sole property of the contributing author. It may be freely copied and used provided the above credits are included. Document expiration: indefinite. |
13 "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
Introduction: Winston Churchill once said, "Advertising nourishes the consuming power of man. . .sets up the goal of a better home, better clothing, better food for himself and his family. It spurs individual exertion and greater production. It brings together in fertile union those things which otherwise would not have met" (Treasury of Inspirational. . .Illustrations). As Christians, we often forget that we too are a living advertisement for the Lord Jesus. We too need to be an influence that draws people to the Lord for a better life - life eternal. We too need to provide the fertile union to those who might have never met the Lord. In our passage of Scripture this morning, we are reminded by our Lord, that when we accepted Christ as our Savior, Jesus didn't intend for us to stop there. He has called us to have a daily influence upon the world in which we live. Whether you like it or not, you are a living, breathing, walking advertisement for Christ - whether good or bad.
Transition: Let's look at. . .
I. The Christian's Influence
(v.13a).
1. Being an influence.
A. We are created with a new nature.Application: Our old natures are like these dangerous elements - deadly! We were dead in our sins, Romans 6:23a, "For the wages of sin is death. . ." But when a person accepts Christ's sacrifice for their sins, then they become a new creation; 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."1) Salt is made up of two very reactive and dangerous chemical elements.A) Sodium (a silvery white metal).2) When you combine these two dangerous elements they unite to make something good and useful, giving us the name Sodium Chloride, or Salt.- When a small piece is dropped in some water, the reaction creates hydrogen gas - which is highly explosive.B) Chlorine (a greenish gas).- If you enter a room that is filled with this gas, you will be dead in seconds.
Transition: As a result of this new creation. . .
B. We are created to influence.
1) The Lord Jesus Christ, stresses that you and I ARE to be the salt of the earth.Application: The reason why the Lord compares us to salt is found in the ancient culture of His day. In ancient Greek history salt was called theon, which means divine. The Romans held that the only thing that was more valuable than salt, was the sun. Roman soldiers were often paid in salt, and it was from that practice that we get the expression "not worth his salt." In many ancient societies salt was used as a mark of friendship. When two persons shared salt it was an indication of a mutual responsibility to look after one another's welfare. Even if worst enemies ate salt together, they were obliged to treat each other as a friend. In numerous ways Jesus' hearers, whether Greek, Roman, or Jewish, would have understood the salt of the earth to represent a valuable commodity. Though most could not have understood His full meaning, they knew He was saying that His followers were to have an extremely important function in the world (MacArthur).A) If you are a disciple of Christ, then you have one great function - to be the salt of the earth.2) The word, "are" stresses the fact of what exists.B) You are not asked to be the salt, nor are you told that when it is convenient for you to act like salt.
- The very fact that we belong to Jesus Christ makes us His salt in the world (MacArthur).
The Christian is unique because the they have a divine ability to influence all those they come into contact with. That's why we are to be a valuable commodity to our communities in which we live, and even unto our nation and the world.
Transition: Now lets look at. . .
2. How we are to influence.
A. Seasoning.Application: Too often the Christian has the extreme affect upon those they come into contact with. We either withhold the salt, and come across so bland that people look at us and think that they wouldn't want to be a Christian because it means they can never have any fun or joy. You know the look, it looks like we do nothing but eat lemons all day.1) Salt brings out and adds flavor to our food.2) A believer's character should be such, that they add flavor to those that we come into contact with.
The other extreme that is just as bad as the first, is that we pour out too much salt and overwhelm those we come into contact with. The result is they don't want to be a Christian because they think we are all nuts!
Salt only tastes good when it is used in the right amount. Someone once said, "We Christians have no business being boring. Our function is to add flavor and excitement to the world." The world is drab and tasteless without the presence of Christians. Christians are to be the means of God's blessing mankind just as He sends His sun and rain on the righteous and unrighteous alike (MacArthur). We are reminded in 1 Peter 1:8, that believers are, ". . .filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy" (NIV), and it has been said that, "Joy is the flag that flies over the castle of your hearts announcing that the king is in residence today" (Walter B. Knight, Knight's Master Book of New Illustrations). If you want to influence those that you come into contract with, then you need to sprinkle the joy of your salvation upon them.
Transition: Another way which the believer influences the world by being salt is through. . .
B. Healing.Application: If we are the salt of the world, then we are to be used to wake up those who are lost in their sin and revive them with the gospel. When we do, the gospel will draw out the poisons of this world so that God can spiritually heal those who are lost and dying; Isaiah 53:5-6, "But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him."1) Salt is natural antiseptic.A) We gargle with salt water to help get rid of a sore throat.2) Christians are to be a moral antiseptic in a sin-infested world (SL).B) We soak our bodies in Epson Salt for aches and pains.
A woman woke up from surgery and said, "Doctor, was the surgery a success?" The man with her said, "I'm not your doctor, I'm Saint Peter." We can't wait until someone dies to try to be the salt that brings spiritual healing to them. We must be about applying the salt of the gospel today, 2 Corinthians 6:2, ". . .Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation." This means we need to be applying the healing salts of the gospel each and every day, in order to be an healing influence to a lost and dying world.
Transition: Another way which the believer influences the world by being salt is through. . .
C. Purifying.Application: God wants to send us to the root of the problem, and use us to purify the poisoned areas of world. When we share the gospel, both with word and deed, then we are being the purifying salt that can open the door of salvation to the lost. The Apostle Paul tells us that when a person accepts the Jesus Christ as their Savior, Christ purifies them, that is, purges them from the penalty of sin; Titus 2:14, "who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works."1) Salt is a purifying agent.A) We use salt to help draw out poisons and to help heal wounds.2) God told Elisha to take a jar of salt to a poisoned spring and throw some in to purify it in 2 Kings 2:19-22.B) Soap has salt in it, and it is the agent that helps to cleanse our bodies.
Transition: Another way which the believer influences the world by being salt is through. . .
D. Preserving.Application: Christians are a preserving influence in this world; we retard moral and spiritual spoilage. When the church is taken out of the world at the rapture, Satan's perverse and wicked power will be unleashed in an unprecedented way; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12, "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Once God's people are removed it will take only seven years for the world to descend to the very pits of hellishness (Dan.9:27; Rev. 6-19). Until that day Christians can have a powerful preserving influence on the welfare of this world (MacArthur).1) Salt is a preservative (Hobbs).A) In a hot climate without refrigeration meat spoiled quickly.2) A Christian who is being the salt of the world, acts as a preserving element in their community and nation (Hobbs).B) To preserve it, it was salted down.
C) In this manner it was saved from corruption and decay.
A) In order for salt to do its work it must come into contact with that which needs preserves, but the salt never becomes an identical part of it.3) This passage also implies the rottenness of the world, which needs the preservative of the salt (Walvood).B) The Christian cannot live in a world apart from his environment.
(1) But he should never become a part of it (James 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17).(2) He is to be in the world but not of it (Rom.12:2; Col.2:8).
Transition: We also influence the world by being salt is through. . .
E. Thirsting.Application: A number of years ago, when Howard Hendricks was a student at the seminary, he was invited to preach in west Texas that he claims twenty-five miles beyond nowhere. The teeming crowds were gathering--all seventeen of them. He preached with all of the fervor and passion of his heart. When he got through, a tall Texan came up and said Howard, "You were wrong." He replied, "Well, sir," I said, "I've been wrong on many occasions. Give me the information." The Texan said, "In your sermon you made a moronic statement. You said you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. And that ain't true, 'cause you can feed him salt" ("Beyond the Bottom Line," Preaching Today, Tape No. 101). Are you making anyone thirsty for the Lord Jesus Christ? When you do, then you can give them the living water; John 4:14, "but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life." Live like Christ has made a difference in your life, and create a thirst in those around you for the living water.1) What happens when you eat something salty?- You get thirsty.2) If Christians are going to be the salt of the world, then they need to create a thirst in nonbelievers for a greater desire to know more about Christ (BKC).- There should be something different enough about our lives that draws those who thirst for spiritual truth and peace to the living waters of the Lord.
Transition: If we are not living for the Lord, then there is. . .
II. The Danger Of Losing Our Influence
(v.13b).
1. We lose our effectiveness - ".
. .but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?"
A. Pure or uncontaminated salt maintains its flavor, but if it is mixed with other ingredients or exposed to the elements it loses its effectiveness (NIBC).Application: By definition, an influence must be different from that which it influences. Therefore we must be different from the world that we are called to influence. We cannot influence the world for God when we are worldly ourselves. God has changed us from being part of the corrupted world into being salt that can help preserve and influence the world for the Lord (MacArthur). So when we sin in attitude or idleness, our influence on the world becomes flat, ineffective and even foolish.1) Most salt in the ancient world was derived from salt marshes or the like, rather than by evaporation of salt water, and therefore contained many impurities (SL).B. Christians who are without true moral character and spiritual commitment to the Lord can become useless in their witness to the lost.2) The actual salt, being more soluble than the impurities, could be leached out, leaving a residue so diluted it was of little worth (SL).
1) The phrase "loses its flavor," comes from the Greek word "moraino" (mo-rah'-ee-no) which means to "make foolish," and is used here metaphorically of "becoming ineffective."2) When a believer ceases to be the salt of the world, they become ineffective in influencing others as Christians.
Transition: The result of becoming ineffective is that. . .
2. We lose our testimony before men - ". . .It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."
A. If a Christian fails to be the salt of the earth, men will tread his testimony under their feet.Application: Years ago I was in the Air Force and was stationed in Athens, Greece. When I arrived at my new job, and my coworkers learned that I was a Christian so they proceeded telling me all about another Christian who had become a laughing stock in the shop. When he first arrived there, about every other word that came out of his mouth was "Amen" and "Praise the Lord." By the time I got there, his every other word was "pass me another beer." It is needless to say, that he had lost his saltiness and his testimony with his coworkers - and they took every opportunity to trample his testimony under their feet. This fallen Christian ended his career with the Air Force by finally getting drunk and trying to kill himself. His testimony was so ruined that the Air Force kicked him out also.- The world has only contempt for an undedicated believer.B. The world tramples worldly believers under its feet as it rushes on to corruption, despair, and loss (Hobbs).
We need to jealously guard our testimonies, because what could take us years to establish as credible, can be ruined in seconds. And what is worse, we just don't ruin our own testimony, we ruin our church's testimony and our Lord's. Not because they have done any thing that is unworthy, but because we have been unworthy.
The good news is if you have lost your testimony, it can be restored and repaired. The first step is to repair your relationship with the Lord; 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The next step is to admit that you were wrong in your behavior to others and begin to live a new for the Lord. It won't be easy, because the world will take every opportunity to remind you of your failure. But stay the course, and God can use you again to influence others for Him.
Invitation:
1. Salt is
only useful if it is applied to something (Robert C. Shannon, 1000
Windows, (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1997).
A. There is a strange sign greets visitors to Vienna, Austria.2. Finally, are you letting God's salt heal, purify and preserve you?1) Translated from the German, it says, "Welcome to Vienna, where the salt is in the saltshaker."B. The church, however, must never make the same boast.A) Of course, the salt is in the saltshaker.2) They mean that they don't put salt on the streets in the winter!B) Where else should it be?
1) We are the salt of the earth, but we do no good if we stay in the saltshaker2) Shake yourself out of the salt shaker this week and allow God to use you to be an influence upon your loved ones, your friends, your neighbors, coworkers, and all those that you come into contact with!
A. The Bible tells us that those who reject Christ will die and spend eternity in the Lake of Fire where the ". . .worm does not die, And the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44).B. You can either spend an eternity rotting in your sins, or you can spend eternity in heaven where, ". . .neither moth nor rust destroys" (Matthew 6:20).
C. God ". . .commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness. . ." (Acts 17:30b-31a).
D. You need to accept God's perfect sacrifice, Jesus Christ.
- God made it as simple as this, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and \ believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame" (Romans 10:9-11)
Study References
BKC - Bible Knowledge Commentary, John F.
Walvoord & Roy B. Zuck, Victor Books.
Hobbs -
An Exposition of the Four Gospels: Matthew, Vol.1, , by Hershel H. Hobbs,
Broadman Press, 1979
MacArthur - John MacArthur's
New Testament Commentary.
NIBC - New
Illustrated Bible Commentary, Radmacher, Allen & House, Thomas Nelson
Inc.
SL - Expository notes, Dr. Thomas
Constable (http://soniclight.com/).
Word Studies
V.13.
- "you," ("humeis" {hoo-mice': n, pron, nom, 2per, pl}); you (KJV
= ye)
-- MacArthur: The you is also plural. It is His whole body, the church, that is called to be the world's salt and light. Each grain of salt has its limited influence, but it is only as the church collectively is scattered in the world that change will come.- "are," ("este" {es-the': v, indic, pres, act, 2per, pl}); denotes what exists, the one who is, are.
-- MacArthur: Are stresses being rather than doing. Jesus is stating a fact, not giving a command or request. Salt represents what Christians are. The only question, as Jesus goes on to say, is whether or not we are tasteful salt. The very fact that we belong to Jesus Christ makes us His salt in the world.- "salt," ("halas" {hal'-as: n, nom, neut, sg}); salt, used figuratively of having a quality of effectiveness.
-- Theological Dictionary of NT: In the ancient world salt has religious significance. Because of its purifying and seasoning (Job 6:6) and preserving qualities it is a symbol of endurance and value. It is linked with God, as putrefaction and corruption are linked with demons. For this reason it was much used in worship, as in the . It was sprinkled on or mixed into the sacrifices (Ex. 30:35; Lv. 2:13; Ez. 43:21). Newborn children were rubbed with it (Ez. 16:4). It was used by Orientals to drive away evil spirits. Lasting covenants were made by eating bread and salt, or salt alone (Nu. 18:19; 2 Ch. 13:5): the covenant of salt). In the its cultic significance is lost. The sacrificial ritual is simply a means to convey the truths of the religious and moral world. This seems to be the point of the obscure saying in Mk. 9:49. The disciple must be seasoned with salt like the sacrifice. This will take place through trials (cf. the fire of 1 C. 3:13), and everything contrary to God will be purged away. Salt also typifies the religious and moral quality which must characterise the speech of the Christian (Col. 4:6), and the quality which is an inner mark of the disciple and the loss of which will make him worthless (Lk. 14:34 f.; Mt. 5:13; Mk. 9:50).- "earth," ("ge" {ghay: n, gen, fem, sg}); the earth, the abode of men and animals.
-- Robertson: (dull, sluggish, stupid, foolish) and means to play the fool, to become foolish, of salt become tasteless, insipid (Mr 9:50). It is common in Syria and Palestine to see salt scattered in piles on the ground because it has lost its flavor, the most worthless thing imaginable. Jesus may have used here a current proverb.- "how," ("en tis" {en tis: prep, dat AND adj pron, interrog, dat, neut, sg}); in, by, with AND what, what sort of,-- Vincent: The kindred noun (moro) means dull, sluggish; applied to the mind, stupid or silly; applied to the taste, insipid, flat. The verb here used of salt, to become insipid, also means to play the fool. Our Lord refers here to the familiar fact of salt losing its pungency and becoming useless. Dr. Thompson ("The Land and the Book") cites the following case: "A merchant of Sidon, having farmed of the government the revenue from the importation of salt, brought over a great quantity from the marshes of Cyprus -- enough, in fact, to supply the whole province for many years. This he had transferred to the mountains, to cheat the government out of some small percentage of duty. Sixty-five houses were rented and filled with salt. Such houses have merely earthen floors, and the salt next the ground was in a few years entirely spoiled. I saw large quantities of it literally thrown into the road to be trodden under foot of men and beasts. It was 'good for nothing.'"