THE SALT OF THE EARTH

Matthew 5:13 – “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”

Who is Jesus addressing primarily in the Sermon on the Mount?

Jesus is giving instruction to those who would be His disciples!

To His disciples and to all who seek to be His disciples, Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth.”

What does salt do in the natural realm? 

A. Salt preserves meat and fish.

B. Salt provides flavor.

In Biblical times, salt was also important relationally and spiritually.

A. “There is bread and salt between us.” – Middle Eastern saying

We are in relationship.

B. Salt represented permanence in covenant.

2 Chronicles 13:5 – “Should you not know that the Lord God of Israel gave the dominion over Israel to David forever, to him and his sons, by a covenant of salt?”

“The covenant of salt refers to the salt eaten in the solemnizing of a contract. It attests to the permanence of the agreement.” – Spirit-Filled Life Bible

C. Salt was an important part of the grain offering in the sacrificial system of Israel.

Leviticus 2:13 – “And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of the Lord your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.”

What does it mean for believers to be “the salt of the earth?”

We are called to live in the world but not of the world.

1. We are called to hold back or slow down the decay and rottenness of our culture.

Believers are a preserving agent in the world.

The Gospel changes lives and changes cultures.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Cannibals in Northern Luzon, Philippines, were changed by the power of the Gospel.

Mutiny On The Bounty – Pitcairn Island

2. We are called to add flavor to our culture: the Presence of the Living God.

Psalm 34:8 – “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

Aaron Johnson – First African American Secretary of Correction in N.C.

William Wilberforce – Abolitionist of the slave trade in the United Kingdom

How do we accomplish this calling to be the salt of the earth? Infiltration and influence.

Salt has to infiltrate and penetrate before it can preserve and flavor.

3. We are called to infiltrate the seven mountains of our culture.

2 Corinthians 10:13 – “We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us- a sphere which especially includes you.”

A. Church

B. Family

C. Government

D. Business

E. Media

F. Arts and Entertainment

G. Education

All of us have a sphere of influence.

4. How do we use our sphere of influence for the advance of the Kingdom?

Colossians 4:6 – “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

5. How to be a person of influence:

A. Be consistent in your personal time with the Lord: reading His Word, prayer, and worship.

B. Be a person of integrity.

C. Be relational – eating meals with people, having a cup of coffee, exchanging salt.

D. Be willing to speak up.