THE SALT OF THE EARTH:
                                             BEING SALT AND LIGHT part 1

Quick Facts:

·         They would pour rock salt over the sacrifices.

·         When they gave the blessing (Kiddush) over  Sabbaths, they would put a little salt on the bread “to preserve the covenant between Yahweh and His people.

·         Salt is used in the preserving of meats and foods to keep it from spoiling.

·         It gives flavor to food and makes food enjoyable.  Food would be bland indeed without salt.

·         Salt was used for money many times.  Soldiers were paid in salt in Roman times.  The word “salary” comes from this.

·         Much of the salt of the day came from the Dead or Salt Sea – natural halite rock salt.

Salt preserves, and allows for there to be life.  Jesus Christ is the light of life and He is the only source of spiritual life for the soul in sin.  He is our redeemer and redemption.  He is our savior and deliverer.

We are in a SPIRITUALLY dry and desert land.  In the desert, it is vital that you have “salt” in your system or the overly dry and hot climate will rob you of all water/fluids.  Salt is the preserving substance that keeps us from drying out!

Natural salt kills dangerous bacteria and microbes so that food is safe to eat for a long time.  Spiritual salt destroys the things that spiritually kill us… the little sins that we forget about many times are kept away by the presence of God moving through Jesus’ church.   Jesus literally uses His church to fight against the hidden agents of destruction in the world – those hidden agents of evil that people take for granted all too often can corrupt a church that is full of the life of Jesus Christ before they know what has happened.  Demonic forces flee from the presence of Jesus Christ in His church when we are “salty”.

Salt preserves and seasons.  This is the usual application of these scriptures, although this is not the context of what Jesus is saying here – we’ll explore the 2 main points that Jesus emphasized in a bit.  Salt also helps retain fluids in dry and arid climates.  It helps you keep from drying out and dying.  Salt is actually vital for life.  Keep that one in mind!

Jesus said, “you are” the SALT of the EARTH.  Salt is absolutely necessary to life and spiritual salt is absolutely essential to spiritual life.  On the Earth, WE ARE THE ONLY SOURCE OF SPIRITUAL SALT FOR LIFE – the Body of Christ.  God uses His Church.

The way that salt loses its saltiness is through “IMPURITIES” in the rock salt.  The right kind of impurities will cause it to evaporate leaving useless rocks behind with no actual saltiness in it, only fit to throw on the ground.  Literally, without saltiness, we lose our value in life and our lives become useless.  We are called out of darkness into God's marvelous light to make a difference in is world.  We will, when we walk as salt and light.

Compromise with sin will kill the church’s saltiness!  It is the mixing with the world’s contaminants that brings a weakening with the church.  The church becomes lukewarm and weak with hidden sins corrupting it when they compromise what it is right in God’s sight.  We lose our saltiness and our lights go dim or sometimes even go out.

The idea of being “salt” and “the light” go together.  We are the salt of the Earth and affect the world and are light ourselves, shining with the light of life, Jesus Christ in our lives.  When we get impurities, we can lose our saltiness.  The saltiness is the presence of God in our lives.  Salt is only as good as it is pure.  If there are impurities in the salt, it eventually becomes useless.

!!!!!It is vital that we remain salty and not contaminated by the world!!!!!

Impurities interfere with the force within salt that holds it together and causes it to break down.

Salt is what is known as an ionic compound.  NaCl or Sodium Chloride is a molecule that is electrically held together between the positive force of the sodium and the negative force of the chloride.  Electrons from the sodium go into the orbit of the chlorine atoms making the chloride more negative for having the extra electron from the sodium.  There is an electrical “force” in these atoms that hold them together. 

It requires that electron flow or the POWER of ions to keep these two atoms together in what we call salt.  There is unseen power holding it together and making salt.  You don’t see it, but it is there working!

It requires the power AND PRESENCE of God within OUR LIVES for us to remain salty.  Quite literally, just like natural salt, we require the power of God in us to keep us effective as spiritual salt that Jesus can use to change the world around us!

Those who have lost their saltiness are those who are religious, but have become impure and something has gotten in them that interferes with the power of God.  Sin is the problem.  Repentance is the answer, but those who continue religiously without repenting are spiritually just like the natural salt which Jesus was highlighting that has lost its saltiness.  It goes from being useful to good for nothing.

2 Timothy 3:5 “ Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. “

THERE IS GREAT DANGER IN THIS:  How can you regain your saltiness if you lose it?  There is a severe consequence of not being “fit” for the Kingdom and being cast out.  Jesus said that you are thrown out.  We will see more in a bit, but to lose all of your saltiness is to lose your value and be unfruitful.

READ ON TO SEE THE SURPRISING CENTRAL POINT THAT JESUS MADE ABOUT BEING SALT...

The most vivid point about salt is that it MAKES PEOPLE THIRSTY.  It creates a thirst to drink in people, which fits perfectly in the purpose of the church.  We are to be the “body of Christ”, doing the works of Jesus and being an ambassador for Christ – sharing the gospel and our testimonies – being salt and making people thirsty for Jesus Christ!

In nature, a “SALT LICK” is a large deposit of rock salt and nutritious minerals in a river that attracts animals.  They will come and lick the salt, gaining health and minerals that will help in fighting disease.  Plus it makes them very thirsty to where they satisfy their thirst in the fresh waters of the river.

Jesus said that “the church” was the salt of the Earth.  On all the Earth, the one thing that can make the world thirsty for God <being salt> is the true church.  This isn’t a denomination, but those who are born again – the body of Christ born of the Holy Spirit by faith in Jesus Christ. 

When we speak, the words we say should be seasoned as with salt so that we make people desire Jesus.  We need the Holy Spirit to flow through our very words and anoint us to speak and make a difference:  Colossians 4:6 “ Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man. “  

Only the church has (dunamis) “the power ” and ability within it to so witness Jesus as to make people recognize their spiritual dryness and their need for the Holy Spirit that only comes from faith in Jesus Christ.

Those spiritual waters are given to us through faith in Jesus Christ.  Jesus gives the water that satisfies and keeps on satisfying.  JESUS IS THE SOURCE OF THOSE RIVERS OF LIFE!

The most vital call of the church of Jesus Christ is to be a witness for Jesus Christ.  We should make people recognize their spiritual thirst and give them Jesus so that they can be filled and overflowing with God, life, and joy.  There is a wonderful promise from Jesus about those who thirst after God.

Matthew 5:6 “ Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.“

The saltiness in us shows that there is something “BETTER” than the sinful corruptive pleasures of the world that demands the price of spiritual death!  If we are “salty-enough”, then it helps people turn from the love of the world to the love of Jesus!  DOES YOUR LIFE HAVE ENOUGH GOD IN IT TO MAKE PEOPLE THIRSTY FOR JESUS?  Or does your life make people want to back off?

SALT IS GOOD, and we are told by Jesus to have salt within us.  In fact, we are to maintain our saltiness.  WE CANNOT GIVE WHAT WE DO NOT HAVE OURSELVES!  Our lives should make people hungry and thirsty after Jesus Christ.

Salt is good, and when the church is being salty, then it becomes the tool which the HOLY SPIRIT flows through to bring those spiritual rivers of life to the world.  WE MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE GOOD!

Jesus said that we if we lose our saltiness that we ARE NOT FIT:        

1.      For the LAND (soil).

2.      For a DUNGHILL (fertilizer).

Plants need salts as nutrients to live.  In fact, one ingredient in fertilizer is salts, and if there is not enough salts in the fertilizer, then they will add salt to it (not overdoing it though).

Jesus mentioned saltiness (which we covered), and here he puts soil and dunghill together.  A dunghill is manure, used for fertilizer.  Salt and fertilizer is to make plants be MORE FRUITFUL!  It is to produce fruit!

Jesus made 2 points here together:  you are to be salty (salt brings  thirst), but it also helps fertilizer give nutrients to plants so that they are stronger and produce much more fruit.  He then in Matthew adds the point that we are now to take Jesus’ light of life and let it shine in us where we become the light of the world.

John 15:16 “ Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.“ 

Ephesians 5:8-9 “ 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:   9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) “

We are called as SALT and LIGHT so that the fruit of the Spirit can come from us to touch others.  We share the seed of the Word of God into the good ground of people’s lives, and fruit comes forth.  GOD CALLED US TO BE FRUITFUL – ARE YOU?

Are you making a difference for God and the good?  Are you salty?  Is your life shining with the light of Jesus?

It is TIME TO CHECK OURSELVES:  The Bible tells us that we will have fruit if we are connected into Jesus Christ the True Vine.  The Bible tells us that it isn’t everyone who says Lord, Lord that will enter into God’s Kingdom, but those who do the will of the Father.  The Bible says that we would be known by our fruit.  The Bible says that we are to be salt and light.  The Bible says that we are not saved by works, but by grace.  But after we are saved that we will have good works that comes from God – spiritual fruit.

John 15:4-8 “ 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.   5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.   6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.   7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.   8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.  “

·         The fruit will show – period.  If you are salty, then Jesus comes out of your life and people will become thirsty for the life that is in Jesus Christ and those waters of the Holy Spirit. 

·         If you are worldly, then you don’t draw people to Jesus.  You need to pray and be honest with yourself and find out why – now, for time is so short and Jesus Christ is coming so soon!  Those who are salty shall be ready!

·         The lukewarm will be left behind, and the ones who are knowingly rejecting the Word are rejecting the Lord Jesus.  This is the Great Falling Away, and many are damning themselves and still going to church thinking they are okay.

Many will say at the judgment, “did I not do this or that for you Lord?”  And Jesus will say, “depart from me you worker of iniquity for I never knew you!”  -  THIS IS DEADLY SERIOUS.

The POWER OF GOD is to equip us to do the works of God and not just make us feel good.  We are to be SALT in a dry land that gives people the desire to turn to Jesus Christ who has rivers of living water to give.  WE ARE TO BE FRUITFUL!  WE ARE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR JESUS!  SALT AND LIGHT -

Copyright © 2013 by James Dale Coldiron and Voice of the Watchman
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