Our goal today is not to discuss the health benefits of drawbacks of salt, but to discuss the way our Lord used this common item to make a spiritual application. Mt 5: 13.
1) "YOU ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH"
A. Who hasn't heard that phrase before when someone talks about the character of someone else?
B. What is there about salt that makes it so useful?
1. It makes certain foods palatable.
2. It enhances flavor, preserves, etc. Job 6:6
a. As Christians do we make a wicked world more palatable to God?
1. Let's look at Gen 18: 20-32, Jeremiah 5:1
b. Do we as Christians enhance a bland world?
c. Salt is also a preservative
3. What are we talking about? We're referring to our influence.
a. Look Matt 5:10-12. How do we react to that?
b. Do we give in to the negative influences of the world?
1. What we do, who we spend our time with, how we act, etc..(TV, Literature, movies, Facebook, Myspace, etc)
a. Remember, what you're doing is public. Is the desire for popularity worth it?
4. We're to be lights - Phil 2: 14-15; Luminaries reflecting the ONE true light, 2 Cor 4:6, Eph. 5:8
2) "BUT IF THE SALT HAS BECOME TASTELESS, HOW CAN IT BE SALTY AGAIN"
A. What about pure salt? It keeps it's flavoring ability.
B. What causes it to "go bad"? Impurities! 1 Cor 15:33
1. Then we lose our "flavoring" ability! We're no longer useful; can we be lost? Mt 13:40-43; Rev 3:16
2. Jesus expects his servants to remain pure and be visible "tasteful" influences in this world.
a. John 13:35; John 17:22
b. 1 Pet 2:11-12 - purity
c. 2 Cor 9: 12-13 - influence!
3) "IT IS NO LONGER GOOD FOR ANYTHING...THROWN OUT AND TRAMPLED UNDER FOOT BY MEN'
A. What a sad commentary about losing our influence.
B. Notice the extreme contrast between being a positive spiritual influence influence to being nothing of value.
C. To being lost. - Mt 5:22, 29-30, Mt 13: 41-43, 2 Pet 3: 7-12
Conclusion: Let's remain pure...and not lose our flavoring ability.