Grace Seasoned with Salt

We are in a series considering the subject of holiness and sanctification.

A topic essential for the church to study.

Because, To be a follower of Christ your life needs to be changed.

We learned last week we need to confront the sin our life. A sin is a sin not because we say it is, but because God tells us it is.

Sin is a violation of a know law of God.

According to Hebrews 12 God will use discipline for our good, to confront the sin our life.

We ask for forgiveness and He is faithful and just to for give us 1 John 1:7.

Sin is forgiven because of Jesus not by of anything we have don or could ever do.

In confronting sin God is trying to form us to be Christ like in practice and life.

We need to lean into that discipline, embrace, and apply it.

Remember that it comes from God.

We enter into that discipline so that we can be formed into Christ-likeness, changing our lives to live a life God can bless!

There is a principle that Paul teaches that is important to our understanding of holiness and sanctification — Colossians 4:2-6

Colossians 4:2–6 NASB 2020

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; 4 that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it. 5 Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.

Are you read for the message God has for us today?

Cool let’s begin.

Gace and Salt

Grace and salt don’t seem to go together but in our speaking to people they both need to be true And in balance.

Would you believe that my words are not always full of grace seasoned with salt?

After going into preaching I had a conversation with my — Nana about forgiveness; I never yelled at her until this — really develop this example

What makes this hard for me is it is one of last conversation I remember having with her.

How well do you think it went?

It haunts me to this day!

Our words are to contain grace that is seasoned with salt.

Words contain grace — the resulting activity that is a necessary consequence of genuine, beneficent goodwill.

Especially used of the out working of God’s will.

Affectionate, pleasing in nature, loveliness, winsomeness.

Salt seasoned — to be or become flavored by the addition of various condiments

To arrange or make ready.

There is a tension here In what Paul is saying

Too much grace is not a good thing.

Not enough grace is not good either.

Our words need the right amount of grace to respond to people.

The same is true for our words containing salt

The bottle of seasoning from the Hughes

In my family I am know for two things in my cooking.

Too much salt and not enough salt.

There are very few times where we are not adding more salt to the food.

At least that is better than the times I use too much!

Every taste something that is too salty?

When you use too much it over whelms everything!

When there is not enough there is no flavor.

Our words are the same they need to be palatable, so that people will listen — Back to my conversation with Nana

For our words we need the right amount or balance of both grace and salt.

Tensions in Holiness

There is principle here in what Paul is saying that applies to holiness.

What Dr. David Busic calls, “Tensions in Holiness.”

These tension are Dialectical tensions

“Two opposite forces that co-exist simultaneously. They are not contradictory to each other. They are held in tension, They need each other to be simultaneously true. Both are right, but only fully right when they are working together, when they are in balance.” — Dr. David Busic

So in living a holy life, a life that God can bless, our words are filled with grace seasoned with salt, being help in tension simultaneously and in balance.

In a life of holiness and sanctification our words have both grace and salt.

Another tension in holiness

Holiness is both instantaneous and progressive.

We talked about this last week. Both are true in holiness or sanctification.

Instantaneous — Initial sanctification at the moment of salvation.

Progressive — Sanctification continues on through the life of the disciple as they pursue holiness.

So it is not just instaneous and now I live however I want! Holiness and sanctification must also be progressive.

Holiness is both spiritual and practical.

We need to trust the Spirit to grow us into Christ likeness.

We need to be fully surrendered and committed to Christ so the Spirit can continue to grow us over the course of our life.

Holiness happens because the spirit is working in our life.

We can’t sanctify ourselves.

There is nothing we can do to make ourselves holy.

Holiness is not try hard, do good fail, repeat! That is me on my own power and ability. My own righteousness!

Holiness takes the Spirit - Amen?

However, holiness is also practical.

This is where the discipline of God comes in through our Prayer, Spiritual Growth, and study.

We are back to our text from last week of Hebrews 12.

We need to lean into the discipline of God and make the changes He is revealing to us.

A life of holiness contains discipline because we are allowing the God and the Holy Spirit to teach us and guide us in our pursuit of living a life God can bless.

Holiness is Growth

A life of holiness is not instantaneous.

Yet we live in and instant culture.

We tend to be impatient people because of instant gratification.

When things take to long we get impatient.

I’ll be honest, I have been know for being impatient, ask anyone in my family.

How many of you have an instant pot?

We are about instant gratification.

We can’t translate this way of thinking into the spiritual life of holiness

Formation takes time.

So how does all this work. Put the snickerdoodle's on the table.

Hebrews 12:14–17 NASB 2020

14 Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. 15 See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; 16 that there be no sexually immoral or godless person like Esau, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you know that even afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought for it with tears.

We are reminded of the story of Esau and Jacob and bowl of stew for a birthright

Look at what Esau traded for a moment of instant gratification!

What kind of person would do that?

Yet people do it all the time!

They give up so much for a moment of instant gratification — Drugs, alcohol, pornography, extra-marital affairs, pride, etc.

All sin is about a moment of instant gratification!

People want it now! They want instant gratification.

Here is what they are saying — I want my needs met right now and I’ll give whatever it requires, even my birthright for it!

The writer of Hebrews is telling us that is how people approach holiness.

Then, God is saying I am going to put some discipline in your life and its going to be painful, but I am going to be shaping you in Christ likeness.

Hebrews and Colossians is showing us that a life of holiness is a life of transformation.

Conclusion

The old Hymn Take Time to Be Holy

1. Take time to be holy, speak oft with thy Lord; Abide in Him always, and feed on His Word. Make friends of God’s children, help those who are weak, Forgetting in nothing His blessing to seek.

2. Take time to be holy, the world rushes on; Spend much time in secret, with Jesus alone. By looking to Jesus, like Him thou shalt be; Thy friends in thy conduct His likeness shall see.

So hear the words of that song

In a life of holiness we spend a lot time with God in prayer, why?

Reread green bold!

We need to look into our lives and ask ourselves am I holding back?

Have I truly surrendered to God?

Am I allowing God through His Spirit to form me into Christ likeness?

Is my life a life God can bless?

What are you going to do based upon what God has said today?