SALT OF THE EARTH

By David J. Riggs

Intro.
   A. Jesus is the Master Teacher.
      1. He used many illustrations (parables) to explain and clarify
         His teaching.
      2. One such illustration is "the salt of the earth." Matt. 5:13
      3. All peoples of the world would be acquainted with salt.
   B. Our table salt is sodium chloride and is virtually 100% pure.
      1. "The salt of Palestine was mixed with many impurities being
         gathered from the shore of the Dead Sea, from marshes or
         dry land beds." (Form The Land and the Book, by
         Thompson, Vol. II, pp. 43-44).
      2. In N.T. times, salt was much more expensive than it is now.
         a. Back then, people were sometimes paid with salt for
            their labor. The expression, "He is not worth his salt"
            comes from this ancient practice.
         b. Our word "salary" comes from the same root word for
            "salt."
   C. Let us look at some of the characteristics and uses of salt and
      make some spiritual applications.

I. SALT HAS PRESERVING POWER.
   A. Years ago, people did not have refrigerators or freezers and,  
      thus, fish, meats, and various vegetables were preserved by    
      rubbing salt on them or packing them in salt.
   B. Jesus is saying, what salt is to foods, we are to other people.
      We are a saving, preserving force to the world.
      1. The world is lost in sin, and we are the ones who are to    
         carry the gospel, the saving force, to them.
      2. The world without godly people is doomed. Psalm 9:17;
         Prov. 14:34; Amos 9:8
         a. God spared the world because of righteous Noah and
            his family.
         b. Ten righteous people would have saved Sodom and
            Gomorrah.
   C. There must be close contact between the salt and the meat.
      1. Salt placed a few inches away from the meat would do no
         good.
      2. The ancient monks who relished seclusion did not understand
         the Lord's teaching.
      3. We are not to isolate ourselves from other people, but are  
         to influence and teach them the way of life.

II. SALT IRRITATES.
   A. If salt comes in contact with a cut, sore, or wound, it will   
      irritate and burn.
      1. The salt did not make the wound, but only emphasizes the
         fact that the wound is there.
   B. If the word of God irritates us, it is doing its good work on  
      us. Heb. 4:12
      1. If someone says something that irritates us, perhaps we need
         to look deep down and change in accord with the truth.
   C. Christians, by what they teach and the way they live, irritate
      others.
      1. Matt. 5:11-12 - They would not have been persecuted if they
         had not been an irritating factor in their society.
      2. Christians are not the true cause of the irritation, but    
         like salt, they only emphasize the sore or wound that is    
         already there.
      3. Christians emphasized the fact that a change must be made.
   D. It is interesting that Jesus didn't say, "Ye are the sugar,    
      honey, or sweetness of the world."
      1. Today, a lot of people want to emphasize only love.
         a. Their religion consists of a lot of "sugar."
      2. Certainly, we need to love, but to emphasize love all the   
         time is not the way of Christ.
         a. Jesus did not emphasize sugar only. Matt. 23:25-26
         b. John the Baptist was not a sugar fellow. He rebuked a
            sinful marriage which lead to his head being cut off.
            Matt. 14:3-4
         c. Stephen told those evil Jews that they were just like
            their fathers who killed the prophets. Acts 7:51-53
         d. Paul was an irritating force wherever he went. 

III. SALT WILL CREATE THIRST.
   A. Eating salty foods will make us thirsty.
   B. Christians, by the way they live and by what they teach, will  
      cause other people to want to obey God.
      1. They will cause others to want to be free from sin.
      2. They will cause others to want to be part of the family of
         God.
      3. They will cause others to want to have peace of mind.
      4. They will cause others to have hope for the life beyond the
         grave.
      5. A certain man, whose wife was a member of the church,
         would take the car, the only one they had, and drive off
         somewhere just before the time of services.
         a. His wife would walk to services, a very long distance,
            sometimes when it was raining or snowing.
         b. Over time, His heart was softened. He started attending
            services with her. He is now a preacher of the gospel.
         c. She was a wise lady. She could have demanded her
            rights, but it probably would have driven him farther
            away. 1 Pet. 3:1-4

IV. SALT HAS POWER TO FLAVOR.
   A. Many foods taste bland without salt.
      1. Thus, salt is missed when it is not present.
   B. Salt can lose its flavor by the elements, moisture, or         
      impurities.
      1. The salt in that ancient time, lacking purity, could easily 
         lose its flavor by careless storage or allowing moisture to 
         intrude.
      2. Luke 14:34-35 - Worthless salt in those days was put on the
         pathways. It could not be put into the garden or field      
         because it would do damage to the soil.
      3. Mark 9:49-50 - Everyone, as salt, will be tested.
         a. We are to have salt within ourselves. Our speech is to be
            seasoned with salt. Col. 4:6
   C. There are many ways Christians can loose their saltiness.
      1. By being spotted by the world, contaminated. James 1:25;
         Jude 22-23
      2. By becoming lukewarm, watered-down. This Christian may
         not involve himself in sinful things; yet, he may not be
         zealous for the Lord.
         a. The ten virgins' lamps had been burning in the past.
            Matt. 25:1-13
         b. Lukewarmness can rob one of his saltiness.

Concl.
   A. There is a song which says, "What the world needs now is love,
      sweet love."
   B. Actually, what the world needs now is salt, pure salt.
      1. Let us be people who truly live for the Lord.
      2. Let us stand for truth and righteousness, being genuinely
         concerned about our influence and teaching, always doing
         our best so that we may be the salt of the earth.
   C. If you are not a Christian, will you not become one now?
      1. If you are a Christian but have lost your saltiness, will   
         you not renew yourself now?