I have in my hand a small amount of sodium chloride—table salt. It is visible to the eye, capable of being held in my hand, and useful in many ways. It seasons food, resists spoilage, melts ice, acts like medicine, and is utterly necessary for the survival of the human race.
The history of salt goes back to a time before recorded history. In ancient Greece the expression, “not worth his salt” originated with the exchange of salt for slaves. Special salt rations given to early Roman soldiers were known as salarium argentum, the forerunner of the English word “salary.” http://www.saltinstitute.org/38.html
The origin of the word “salad” is from the Roman habit of salting their green vegetables to moderate the bitter taste, the word meaning “salted.” That one still buys canned green beans among other vegetables with salt already added is a testament to our tastes having long roots. http://latereviews.blogspot.com/2007/05/abundance-of-riches.html
Around the time of the Civil War, salt was a necessity for curing meat (since there was no refrigeration), tanning leather, and keeping farm animals alive. Civil War battles—fierce battles—were fought for control of salt mines. When the North captured the salt mines of Saltville, Virginia the South had to look for other ways to get salt. They couldn’t get it from Europe like they had before the war. A Northern blockade kept the South from getting shipments from Europe, and sea salt was not a very good substitute.
The South became more and more desperate for salt as time went on. When alternate sources failed to produce a sufficient supply, Georgia, Alabama, and other southern states began a rationing process to ensure fair distribution. Many of the states handed rationing responsibility to the county courts, which created lists of eligible families and the amounts of salt (calculated in 1/2 bushels) that they could receive. Today many Americans trace their genealogical records by these court lists. Amazing. http://www.genealogytoday.com/guide/civil-war-salt-lists.html
And to think, Jesus said that we are the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).
I think we sense the importance of our existence with the words, “Ye are the salt of the earth;” however, what about the second part of the verse? Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its 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.” (KJV) What does the last part mean… “but if the salt have lost its savour…It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the foot of men”?
Jesus warned against losing our saltiness.
Jesus used an illustration about salt that holds little meaning for us today. Let me explain. The Sea of Galilee flows down the Jordan River and empties into the Dead Sea. Once the water enters the Dead Sea it can only leave by evaporation. All the minerals in the water settle to the bottom of the sea. The salt of the water is suspended in the water and along the shore, which gathers there as a white salty mineral. The water of the Dead Sea is very warm during the day, but at night the temperatures drop and the minerals along the shore crystallizes into salt. When the sun comes out, there is a chemical reaction in which the minerals lose its salty flavor. The mineral becomes of no value. It is a waste product of the Dead Sea. The salt is discarded. It is tossed along the beaten path where people trample it underfoot. ttp://choggerpr.blogspot.com/2006/06/salt-and-light.html
Contrary to this, the Morton Salt we use today does not lose its flavor. Morton goes so far as to package its salt in a chemical that helps it repel moisture and, therefore, resist clumping in the box. Morton’s salt pours from the spout first time every time. If today’s salt cannot lose its flavor, then what is Jesus trying to convey in the illustration’s warning? The answer lies in the metaphor Jesus used.
Salt is a metaphor that speaks about our faith in action in this world.
We may influence society by our faith in action, or we may hide our faith and watch the world deteriorate around us. The choice is ours. Doing nothing to resist evil is a bad choice with severe consequences. On the other hand, resisting evil promotes good and brings glory to God.
A believer who loses his “saltiness” is one who becomes indifferent to the world.
Catherine Susan Genovese (July 71935[1]—March 13,1964), commonly known as Kitty Genovese, was a New York City woman who was stabbed to death near her home in the Kew Gardens section of Queens, New York.[3]
The circumstances of her murder and the apparent reaction of her neighbors were reported by a newspaper article published two weeks later and prompted investigation into the psychological
phenomenon that became known as the bystander effect or “Genovese syndrome.”[4]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Genovese
As Kitty Genovese screamed for help, it was latter determined that at least 38 neighbors watched the attack from their windows and did nothing. During the course of the 30-minute assault, no one even telephoned the police. Studies have uncovered some surprising facts about the bystanders. Interviews revealed that they were not totally indifferent as many had suspected. The main reason nobody did anything was that each person thought someone else would take the initiative to get help.
Indifference kills a believer’s influence against evil. Like the 38 people who watched Kitty die, an indifferent believer is one who takes no initiative to do anything for God because he believes that someone else will do it. Ezekiel 22:30-31; “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it, but I found none. So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign LORD.” It is contrary to Bible teaching to choose indifference over standing the gap, over standing up for someone in prayer.
One person can be the difference in saving a nation. God is looking for people who pray. If the believer won’t stand the gap for the weak, who will? If a believer won’t stand the gap for right, who will? Not someone else, it must be you… “an army of one.” When Jim Crow pushed blacks to the back of the bus in Alabama, Rosa Parks became an army of one. The Montgomery bus boycott was supposed to be a one-day protest but turned into 381 days in 1955. Notwithstanding, it broke the back of Jim Crow, ushering in the Civil Rights Movement that led to laws that forever changed this nation.
In the early 1990s, Richard Neill, a Fort Worth, Texas dentist was so sickened by the trash TV talk shows on the air that he targeted the advertisers of Phil Donahue’s long-running show.
Neill then began to elicit support from friends and neighbors, and when they were done, Christianity Today says 221 advertisers opted not to advertise on the show. In addition, the crusade caught the attention of other shows and forced them to clean up their act.
Neill didn’t just express outrage. He took it a step further and focused on taking action. Believers are people of action, not indifference. Do not lose your saltiness. Keep on working the works of faith for all the world to see. You are the one who will make the difference, not the next guy.
A believer who loses his saltiness is one who loses his vision.
Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” When you lose sight of God in your life, you lose everything. Losing sight of God is losing hope, and vision requires hope. Losing sight of God is losing motivation, and vision requires motivation. What does it mean to lose sight of God? It simply means losing touch with Him—lost fellowship, lost conversation, and lost touch—you just don’t feel like you used to.
In Genesis we read the story about Abraham and Lot. When Abraham’s flocks grew to abundance because God had blessed him, he told his nephew Lot to look across the land and choose his own dwelling. In Genesis 13:10 we read,
“And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly. And the LORD said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.”
Lot slid ever closer to Sodom, a wicked city. Eventually he made his residence there and was rescued by his uncle just before God destroyed it.
There is a subtle lesson in Lot’s story. When Abraham came to Canaan, he built an altar because his vision was upwards toward God. Lot never built an altar. When Lot was given first choice of land for his flocks, he looked toward Sodom. Obviously Lot’s downfall was his vision. Whereas Abraham had eyes for God, Lot looked toward well- watered lands. Lot was on his way to losing his “saltiness” because his vision failed to look upward. He had a material vision, but failed to keep a heavenly vision.
We learn much from Lot’s story. A heavenly vision will keep us God centered and salty. An earthly vision without God will stifle our witness for Christ.
A believer who loses his saltiness is one who chooses carnality over spirituality.
In Corinthians 3: 1-3 we read,
“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
Babyhood at the proper time is the most beautiful thing in the world, but babyhood continued too long is a burden and a sorrow, a sign of disease or disorder. And that was the state of many of the Corinthian believers. Now, what are the marks of a baby? A baby cannot help itself, and cannot help others. That is the life of many believers. They make their pastors into spiritual nursemaids.
A spiritual baby three months old who is carnal and does not know how to have victory over sin is natural. But when a man continues year after year in the same state of always being defeated by sin, there is something radically wrong. Nothing can keep a child in prolonged infancy except disease or disorder. And if we have to say continually, “I am not spiritual,” then let us truthfully say, “O God, I am carnal.” http://sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=46896
In conclusion…
Losing our saltiness is not good. We must guard against indifference that expects others to do our work for the Lord. We must guard against losing our upward vision and keep carnality out of our lives.
Going back to where I started this message, I call your attention to the salt in my hand. If I suspend this salt in a glass of water, you cannot see the salt because it dissolves. Nevertheless, the salt is there. How do I know this? I know this because the water tastes salty. You may not think that your life counts because you cannot see the impact. But just because you cannot see the influence you have on others, that does not mean your simple life is insignificant. Your life lived in faith for the Lord Jesus Christ counts.
If we are the salt of the earth—and we are—then we must remain salty. If the world is to turn to God and drink from His well of salvation, then we have to make them thirsty. How is this done? It is done by giving them salt. “Ye are the salt of the earth…”
Keep the faith. Stay the course. Jesus is coming soon.
Pastor T.
