Sermon Tone Analysis

Salt

 

 

 

 

2 Corinthians 2:16 (KJV) \\ \\

16 To the one /we are/ the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.

And who /is/ sufficient for these things?

[1]

 

 

Matthew 5:13-16 (KJV) \\ \\

13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his 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.

14 Ye are the light of the world.

A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushelb, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

[2]

 

Ye are—not we are or we can be but ye are--- IT IS AN INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY

Now in the Scripture everything is in order the way the Holy Spirit wanted it to be.

Remember that the beatitudes were a progressive state and not a state in which we can pick and choose

These next verses are in order just the same

 

Until we have walked in the steps of the beatitudes we will not become the salt of the earth or the light of the world

 

The salt used in this country is a chemical compound—and if the *saltiness* were lost, or it were to lose its *savor*, there would be nothing remaining.

In eastern countries, however, the salt used was impure, mingled with vegetable and earthly substances; so that it might lose the whole of its saltiness, and a considerable quantity [of salt without flavor] remain.

This was good for nothing except that it was used, as it is said, to place in paths, or walks, as we use gravel. 4

[3]

There are four areas of salt that we will look at

 

#.

Preservation

#.

Seasoning

#.

Thirst

#.

What it means to lose savor

 

 

 

 

Preservation--*1* *: *to keep safe from injury, harm, or destruction *: *protect

*                          2 a* *: *to keep alive, intact, or free from decay

*                          b* *: *maintain

*                          3 a* *: *to keep or save from decomposition[4]

 

Salt does not cure corruption, but it can be applied so that the corruption does not start and it can in some respects slow the corruption in the meat.

Salt was the main way that people preserved meat in the past, before refrigeration came about

 

How is it that the Christian’s presence preserves society and stops it from decaying?

One of the first areas where the decay is stopped is when others are drawn to Christ by the life of Christ being lived out in your life.

Now you say that it is God that must draw them and you are correct, but how is it that God will draw them, if not by using His people to create the proper savour.

Your effect on people will cause them to consider their estate and evaluate the life and even make some changes even if they are only temporary or when they just are around you.

And then there will be those who truly will seek God and find him and the saltiness in this instance will have preserved one before the corruption sets in.

These are areas where if the Christian was not around then these folks wouldn’t even consider the changes in their life they would just go on living like they always had.

There are those in whom the corruption has set in and they begin to look bad and smell bad, even to those in society who have no Christian leanings.

If you have ever smelled a bad piece of meat you will never forget the effect it has on you and how it turns your stomach and causes you to turn away from it having no desire to partake of it.

At this point even though the salt may slow the process of corruption, it will not be cured unless God in his supernatural work comes in and affects the cure.

Now I also realize that even though God is using his people to draw folks to him it is still his power and his strength that saves them and not anything in us.

 

2.

The second area we will look at is salts seasoning ability.

It also creates a hunger

    It has been used for centuries and is has been highly valued for this reason.

Try cooking without salt and not putting any on the table for seasoning and see how the food really tastes.

Many times it is not the type of food that really tastes good, but the seasonings that cause us to like it.

You can grill a piece of chicken without any seasonings and it will be edible, but you season it with a dry rub, which consists of a lot of salt and see which one you like better.

The Word of God may be palatable without being seen in the life of a believer, but it will be considerably more desirable when the salt of our life is seasoning the Word and it will make it taste better.

Colossians 4:6 (KJV)    6 Let your speech /be/ alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

[5]

 

Grace   *1* grace.

1a that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech.

*2* good will, loving-kindness, favour.

2a of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtue[6]

 

Always with grace that just as God uses it to turn us to Christ we likewise in speaking will be using grace to turn people to Christ and seasoned with salt to inhibit the corruption.

It is unfortunate when a Christian speaks in a rude or coarse manner, particularly when the unsaved are listening.

“Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15).

Meekness is the opposite of harshness, and fear is the opposite of arrogance.

There is no place in a Christian’s conversation for a know-it-all attitude.

While we need to have convictions and not compromise, we must also cultivate a gracious spirit of love.

[7]

 

 

If we truly desired to give an answer to every man we would stay in this Book more.

Christ with the woman at the well---Neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more

 

That’s why its important how we act and how we let it affect us, because our life is meant to be salt and light to those we are around every day.

The way we act or react in our circumstances has a direct effect on others.

What is in the heart comes out of the mouth---grace or bitterness---kindness or condemnation---holiness or harshness.

THIS ACTION CAN BE IN ANY GIVEN SITUATION.

And as Matthew Henry stated our speech may not always be about grace, but it should always be with grace

 

 The things we are going through are, either, making us sweeter, better, nobler men and women; or they are making us more captious and fault-finding, more insistent upon our own way.

The things that happen either make us fiends, or they make us saints; it depends entirely upon the relationship we are in to God.

If we say—“Thy will be done,” we get the consolation of John 17, the consolation of knowing that our Father is working according to His own wisdom.

When we understand what God is after we will not get mean and cynical.

[8]

 

Ephesians 4:29 (KJV)     Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good toh the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

[9]

 

* CORRUPT   ad*, rotten, decayed; having no value (Mt 7:17, 18; 12:33(2×); 13:48; Lk 6:43(2×)+; *2.* LN 20.14 *harmful*, unwholesome (niv, nasb), corrupt words or speech (kjv, nkjv, asv), evil talk (rsv, nrsv), foul word or language (njb, nab) offensive talk (reb), bad language (neb), (Eph 4:29+)

[10]

 

Now I am not suggesting that we are softening the Word of God to make it more palatable, but it is being made more palatable by the grace in our speech, the attitude in our hearts.

Some Christians drive people away with their continual approaching them about the Gospel, and I know that we are to be ready, but the Bible says when they ask.

When you once have approached someone and it is apparent that they are not interested, then let God arrange the times of your speaking and it will have a lot more of an affect

 

They may at first attribute it to your good nature, but in time after God has shown you around and the consistency of His life in you is seen then he will allow you to testify with your mouth to them.

 

3.

Salt creates thirst or can we say a desire for

 

            Now this is a natural phenomenon of salt it just makes us thirsty.

It will also be the natural phenomenon of the beatitudes in the Christian’s life as they are seen by this world.

In becoming salt, it does take time and it will be a continual process of the application of the beatitudes to a Christian’s life that will keep the saltiness in effect

 You will continually have to recognize your poor estate, mourn ETC.

ETC.

The life Christ put forth to us is not a once done act, but a continuous process throughout our entire life on this planet.

When you are converted it is just the beginning, it is not the end

 

People will be partaking of your life, because the life of Christ will be manifested through you.

Or they will be mocking you because your walk and talk do not match.

And sometimes your talk and your words do not match---Oh I am a dedicated Christian—but the harshness, the critical words, and the cutting words do not match!!!!

 

One last thing that salt will do and I am not sure how it will apply, is if thrown out on the ground it will stop anything from growing

 

It will also melt ice, but in the process it will cause the concrete to break up

Could that signify the softening of a hard heart

 

Finally salt slows the corruption

Seasons the food, thereby creating hunger

Makes us thirsty, thereby creating a desire

 

 

 

 

                                                            Lost its Savour

 

Luke 14:34-35 (KJV) \\ \\

34 Salt /is/ good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

35 It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; /but/ men cast it out.

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

[11]

 

It is evident from this verse that one of the main issues is seasoning and if we are the salt how do we lose the seasoning?

What does it mean to be cast out by men?

If salt has lost its savour, then it cannot preserve, season or create thirst, it therefore fails to accomplish the purpose for which it was intended.