How To Be The Salt Of The Earth
“Salt of the earth”
Matthew 5:13
Matthew 5:13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Matthew 5:14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH.
Jesus refers to the disciples as being the salt of the earth and in the next scripture after that, He refers to the disciples as the light of the world.
Why would Jesus refer to the disciples as being the salt of the earth?
This morning I would like to hit on a few ways that salt can be used and how it can be applied to our lives.
Tell your neighbor “Pass the salt, Please.”
Frist of all:Did you know that the word Salary comes from the word salt. Salary is derived from the Latin word, sal, which means salt. Back in the day some people were paid ‘wages' in salt, as opposed to money.Salt was very much prized within the Roman Empire, it could be used to preserve food, which was very important for an Empire that was very large.
They also prized it as a means of flavoring food, although undoubtedly it was the preservation qualities which were the most important.Roman soldiers were paid using salt, (sal) and they (unlike many other soldiers) were paid regularly, so salary is a term for a regular payment for services to an employer.
O.K. lets take a look at some different ways that salt can be used.
1. The primary use was as a preservative.
a. see back in those days they did not have refrigerators like you and I do. So salt was used as a preservative.
b. When meat is butchered it will soon begin to putrefy or rot because of the surface bacteria.
c. but what Salt does is kills the bacteria and prevents a rapid purification.
So when Jesus referred to the disciples as being salt of the earth – He was probably thinking of the great opportunity that you and I have to be a blessing to a world that is decaying and rotting.
In a world that is hurting we have the opportunity to be a preservative.
A world that is decaying, a world that is empty and looking for answers, a world that is falling apart.
Being salt of the earth, is an opportunity for you and I to be living testimonies of the life changing power of Jesus Christ, in a world that is looking for answers.
We are able to go to a world that is full of decay and bring the good news. The good news that Jesus Christ is able to change lives and if He did it for me He can surely do it for you, there is an answer for your situation.
There are many places and opportunities that you and I can be the salt of the earth and be used as a preservative.
We can bring good news and be a preservative at many different places:
1) At our Jobs
2) In our schools
3) At our family gatherings
4) At the shopping mall
5) In whatever atmosphere we find ourselves in.
See the thing about salt, is that it impacts whatever it comes into contact with. That is what salt does – it changes whatever it comes in contact with. That is how our lives should be, we make an impact in the lives of the we come in contact with.
You and I can be a preservative to a hurting world wherever we go.
Where is there is hatred we bring love.
Where there is rejection we bring acceptance.
Where there is strife we bring unity.
2. The second use of salt was for flavoring. Bringing out or enhancing the flavor of food.
a. Have you ever tried eating potatoes without salt? They taste completely different.
b. Have you ever eaten some hot chips without salt?
c. Have you ever eaten food without salt?
In the world we live in today, there are many people who feel like their lives are without purpose and they seem to have nothing to live for.
On the outside everything is together, but on the inside their lives are flavorless.
They are searching here and searching there trying to fill their lives with happiness and excitement, but they keep coming up short.
See that is where you and I can model a life that is full of flavor.
Joy – Peace – Love – Purpose – Destiny
Once again, where can we bring this flavor. We can bring this flavor wherever we go:
a) it can be our jobs
maybe people are stressed not knowing how they are going to make ends meet, but they see God taking care of you.
b) it can be our homes
maybe some of your family may is not saved, but you can bring the joy of the Lord to that house and Season It Up!!!
Maybe there are family member that feel purposeless, but they see you fulfilling God’s purpose on your life.
c) it can be in our neighborhood
maybe you have old friends in your neighborhood that don't know about Jesus, you and I can let them the flavor that our lives have now that we are serving Jesus.
As the salt of the earth, wherever’ve you and I go, we should bring flavor.
Before people may have not wanted you to be around, but now that you got some flavor so they personally invite you to the gatherings.
We let the world know that it is because of Jesus that you and I have flavor, because before Jesus came into our life there was no flavor.
See not too long ago the world was looking for Swagga,.
Remember the song – Ain’t nobody on the corner got swagga like us, but as a Christian our song should be Ain’t nobody in the world got flava like us.
Somebody say Flava!!!
Our lives should bring flava to the situation.
Before you might have brought something else to the family gatherings –
Come on Somebody!!!
Or you may have the family gatherings with something that wasn’t yours
Come On Somebody!!!
Maybe our families didn't even want to see us – didn't let us in. Turn the lights off and shut the doors, but now when you come around they get happy because they say here comes hope and here comes flava.
3. There is another thing that salt does and that is it makes you thirsty.
ONE FINAL WORD ABOUT SALT is that IT MAKES PEOPLE THIRSTY.
A. Have you noticed how thirsty you get after eating a bag of salted pop-corn?
B. How thirsty you get after eating salted peanuts on the airplane?
C. How thirsty you get after eating fritos or chips?
Our lives should be so full of salt that it causes people to thirst for salvation.
It causes a thirst in their lives to get to know the Jesus that you and I serve.
Salt changes what it comes in contact with. Just like salt changes what it comes in contact with. You and I should be people who make an impact in the hurting world we live in, for the honor and glory of Jesus.
We should be like a thermostat in the world we live in.
See you have a thermostat and then you have a thermometer.
A thermometer changed with the temperature, but a thermostat makes an impact and sets the temperature.
Which one do we want to be today, a thermostat or a thermometer?
See the world is crying out for answers and we are to be the salt of the earth.
As Christians you and I should allow our lives to bring hope to the hopeless.
We have been called to reach the world, not only with our preaching, but with our lives.
Francis of Assisi said, “It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.”
We have been called to impact this world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
One of the best ways to do that is by letting our light shine and being the salt of the earth.
Are we perfect no, but we are working on being an example to our friends, family members, co-workers and loved ones.
This morning maybe God has ministered to you, by challenging you to add a little bit more flavor to your salt.
I Timothy 4:12 – 12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Maybe you say, I need to step up my testimony in the area of my speech, conduct, love, forgiveness, purity, forgiveness or another area.
This morning I would like to open up these altars, if you say I want God to help me to grow in an area to be a better example.