Series: Summer on the Mount

Title: Stay Salty My Friends

Matthew 5:13-16 “You are the salt of the earth, 

To whom is Jesus speaking? In verse one we learn that he was talking to the multitudes who had gathered to hear him speak. In the previous chapter we learn:

Matthew 4:24

²⁴ So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them.

Then in Matthew 5:1 we see that this same multitude had gathered at the mountain to hear Jesus speak.

So, we see this multitude is made up of a group of people who have witnessed the miracles that Jesus performed in Galilee and were greatly intrigued to hear more of what He had to say.  Many had believed and were wanting to be His disciples.  

His effectiveness could not be questioned, nor could anyone deny the miracles which He had performed.

We can determine that He addresses those who have believed in Him and whose heart were inclined to receive His teachings. He tells them “You are the salt of the earth.”

How did they become salt? By faith. 

Romans 10:17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

They not only heard the words of Christ, but they were fortunate to see the works which accompanied His teachings.  Therefore, they believed, and Jesus counts them as salt.  

Jesus Makes Us Salty

Salt is not to remain in a box but rather it is designed to affect that which it encounters.  In our case, we use salt to enhance the flavor of fine gourmet meals such as gumbos or red beans and rice.   

Louisiana is in the top five states when it comes to food.  Probably because we like our salt. (crawfish boil)

The Purpose of Salt  - In Bible days salt was mainly used to preserve food as they did not have modern day refrigeration.  Salt was of great importance to the people and was seen as a great sacrifice to give up.  Perhaps this is why God required every sacrifice to be seasoned with salt.

Salt is necessary for human survival.  The human body requires a small amount of sodium to conduct nerve impulses, contract and relax muscles, and maintain the proper balance of water and minerals. It is estimated that we need about 500 mg of sodium daily for these vital functions.

Salt preserves, and as believers we are called to preserve the earth.  We preserve the earth by influencing our culture for the Kingdom of God.  

Without your Godly influence, this world would be spoiled.

Genesis 18:25 (Abraham intercedes for Sodom 45, 40, 30, 20, 10)

²⁵ Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” ²⁶ And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

The point is that the Lord would have spared (preserved) Sodom for the sake of ten righteous people.  But there were not 10 righteous people found.  Thus, it was destroyed. Don’t underestimate your effectivenessas a Christian as you aid in preserving the earth.

Salt is necessary, Salt affects its surroundings, salt preserves.  Jesus calls the crowd salt, they were necessary, and they are to affect the earth with the good news of the gospel, in doing so they preserve the earth from decay and corruption.

but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

“If salt has lost its taste” what could this possibly mean?

Apparently, the salt had saltiness before, but somehow has lost its saltiness.  Wait up, wasn’t Jesus talking to the crowd and didn’t He say “you are the salt of the earth.” So we are not simply talking about salt losing its saltiness but people (believers) losing their saltiness.  

What makes us salty? Our preserving qualities like our influence, effectiveness, faith, hope, love, the fruit of the spirit evident in our lives.

• Is Jesus implying that it is possible for someone to lose their saltiness? (Which would be to lose the characteristics of Christ)
• Do we see other examples in Scripture? Here is similar passage to the one we are reading today.

John 15:1-6

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 

³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. ⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 

In contrast to the salt that has lost its saltiness, we see a branch that does not produce fruit.  Both have lost their usefulness, and both are to be destroyed.

• The fruitless branch is to be taken away, thrown into the fire and burned.
• The saltless salt is to be thrown to the ground and trampled.

Is a person banished forever if they have lost their saltiness?

Consider the following:

Salt itself, sodium chloride (NaCl), is extremely stable and cannot lose its flavor.  However, in eastern countries the salt is quite impure containing a wide array of other compounds. In which case the salt loses its saltiness and is good for nothing except for walkways. 

Did you get that?  Salt in its purest form does not lose its saltiness, it is when other compounds are added to the salt which brings about worthless salt. 

To speak plainly, the life and freedom that Jesus gives us through faith is pure, and life changing.  It has the power to not only transform us but also affect those around us (like salt affects a gumbo).  As pure salt never loses its flavor, Christ never loses His effectiveness.  It is we who become distant from Him.

It’s the impurities of our lives that render our salt as ineffective.  

It’s the extra stuff that we add in place of Jesus that render us powerless. Jesus asked:

How shall its saltiness be restored?

It is His desire that we would be restored, He looks for a way and ask the question how can it occur?  He concludesthe worthless salt cannot be restored to good salt. Our badness doesn’t become goodness.

Only pure salt (only Christ) retains its flavor everything else needs to be thrown out.  What makes us impure? The love of the world and the things of this world.

1 John 2:15-17

¹⁵ Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

It seems like doom and gloom for anyone who has lost their saltiness.  But that is far from reality. 

            Hebrews 6:4-11

⁴ For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, ⁵ and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, ⁶ and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. ⁷ For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. ⁸ But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.

Once been enlightened, have tasted                       Once salty had a flavorful taste

Have fallen away                                            lost their saltiness

Bears thorns & thistles worthless, will be burned         Thrown and trampled                             

Still seems rather hopeless for those who lost their saltiness until verse 9

⁹ Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. ¹⁰ For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. ¹¹ And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 

Though you have lost your saltiness we are sure of better things.

What is the better thing that you are sure about?            Things pertaining to salvation. 

What is salvation?          God’s way of reconciling man back to Himself through His Son Jesus.

God is not unjust, He can make you salty again.

Though we were corrupted by the impurities of this world, The Lord offers grace, today! He can restore your saltiness.  He does so not by resurrecting your “old salt” but by giving you “new salt” that comes from Him. Here are some examples in the Bible of God’s restorative work.

Revelation 2:3-6 (Ephesus)

³ I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. ⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.      

From this we see it is possible for an individual to fall away from their love that they once had for the Lord.  Keep in mind this is a letter written to one of churches at the end of the of the age, and we still see this idea of grace through repentance.

But the command is to repent and do what you did at first. There is hope of reconciliation.

James 5:19-20

¹⁹ My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, ²⁰ let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

Wander -err - to be led aside from the path of virtue, to go astray, sin. 

He calls them brothers and says “if anyone among you” clearly, we are talking about a person who is saved, but has veered off the straight and narrow path.  Their fellow brethren are commissioned to bring him back. 

Jeremiah 3:22

“Return, O faithless sons, I will heal your faithlessness.” “Behold, we come to You; For You are the Lord our God.

There is Hope for those who have lost their saltiness.

How do you stay salty?

The way to prevent from becoming a fruitless branch or saltless salt is to abide in Him.

Abide - something (someone) has established itself permanently within my soul, and always exerts its power in me:

Can anyone say with me this morning that Jesus has established himself permanently in my soul and He always exerts his power in me.  I am no longer a slave to sin, I have a new master.

How do we keep our saltiness? (Let’s go back to John 15)

With John’s account we learn how a branch can bear fruit. “Abide in Me” says Jesus and you will bear fruit.  The lack of abiding in Jesus produces death in us.  I believe the same can be said about salt. The lack of  being connected to Jesus the less salty we will be.

Henry Maundrell (once came upon a salt rock cluster and discovered)

"I broke a piece of it, of which that part that was exposed to the rain, sun, and air, though it had the sparks and particles of salt, yet it had perfectly lost its savour. The inner part, which was connected to the rock, retained its savour, as I found by proof."

The inner part had retained its saltiness because it was connected to the rock.  Our rock is Jesus. He is our cornerstone, upon which we build our lives.  We will remain salty if we are connected to Him.  The outside (physical man) must go through various trials, but the inside where Jesus lives will remain salty. 

We won’t lose our (saltiness) effectiveness if we are connected to the rock.

To stay salty is to stay connected to Jesus. 

Do we have any salty people in the house this morning? Who regardless of what you go through on the outside that your inner man is connected to the rock.

This passage should be a caution to us as Christians.  If we are the salt of the earth, but lose our flavor (our influence, actions, preserving qualities for this world,) we lose our value for the Kingdom of God.  This might sound harsh, but it is God’s warning to us.  

He wants us to live as people on a mission for him.  Every person can become an instrument for spreading God’s grace and love in their communities through being Christ-like – kind, generous and even bold when needed!

Colossians. 4:5-6

⁵ Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. ⁶ Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.