Salt of the earth.

Matthew 5:13 NLT

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.

Today we look at a passage that comes right after Jesus just pronounced blessings over those the world considers foolish, powerless and despised.

Jesus was not saying they are blessed because they are powerless, despised or foolish.

He was making the point that when those who the world reject come into the reign of God, they are blessed far above the world’s powerful, popular, rich, and wanted.

He was telling the foolish, powerless, and despised that the reign of God and the blessed life is open to everyone including them through Jesus.

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It is this Group of people that Jesus says...

You are the salt of the earth.

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What does it mean to be the Salt of the earth?

Salt was used for one major purpose in the ancient world.

To preserve and fight off decay.

Preserve meats and other foods that can rot.

And it is for this reason salt was used as a symbol of God’s eternal covenant with His people.

Leviticus 2:13 NLT

13 Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings.

Numbers 18:19 ESV

19 All the holy contributions that the people of Israel present to the Lord I give to you, and to your sons and daughters with you, as a perpetual due. It is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord for you and for your offspring with you.”

Ezekiel 43:23–24 NLT

23 When you have finished the cleansing ceremony, offer another young bull that has no defects and a perfect ram from the flock. 24 You are to present them to the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

Ezekiel 43:24 NLT

24 You are to present them to the Lord, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and offer them as a burnt offering to the Lord.

Ezek

2 Chronicles 13:5 ESV

5 Ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingship over Israel forever to David and his sons by a covenant of salt?

Ezek

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Jesus is saying that those in the Reign of God are to be a preserving agent in this world and a sign of God’s Covenant to the Nations.

A little background:

After the tower of Babel God divorced himself from the nations

And gave the nations over to principalities to rule over them.

Deuteronomy 32:7–9 NLT

7 Remember the days of long ago; think about the generations past. Ask your father, and he will inform you. Inquire of your elders, and they will tell you. 8 When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race, he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number in his heavenly court. 9 “For the people of Israel belong to the Lord; Jacob is his special possession.

The principalities rebelled against God and led the nations away from God.

Psalm 82 NLT

A psalm of Asaph. 1 God presides over heaven’s court; he pronounces judgment on the heavenly beings: 2 “How long will you hand down unjust decisions by favoring the wicked? Interlude 3 “Give justice to the poor and the orphan; uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute. 4 Rescue the poor and helpless; deliver them from the grasp of evil people. 5 But these oppressors know nothing; they are so ignorant! They wander about in darkness, while the whole world is shaken to the core. 6 I say, ‘You are gods; you are all children of the Most High. 7 But you will die like mere mortals and fall like every other ruler.’ ” 8 Rise up, O God, and judge the earth, for all the nations belong to you.

God has promised through Jesus He will bring the nations back to Him and free them from their slavery to the fallen angels.

Revelation 7:9–10 NLT

9 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. 10 And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”

Rev 7:9-10

Psalm 67 NLT

For the choir director: A song. A psalm, to be accompanied by stringed instruments. 1 May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us. Interlude 2 May your ways be known throughout the earth, your saving power among people everywhere. 3 May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. 4 Let the whole world sing for joy, because you govern the nations with justice and guide the people of the whole world. Interlude 5 May the nations praise you, O God. Yes, may all the nations praise you. 6 Then the earth will yield its harvests, and God, our God, will richly bless us. 7 Yes, God will bless us, and people all over the world will fear him.

As God’s Kingdom people we are called to be the sign of God’s promise to the Nations.

We are the salt of the earth!

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But if we lose our saltiness we are useless.

If we fail to act as a preservative -

If we fail to be a symbol of hope -

God has called His people to be salty!

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How can we be salty in our city, family and the nations?

S - Show them Jesus

A - Affect our city (positively influence our city towards the Kingdom of God not away from it.)

L - Love our neighbor/enemies

T - Take people to Jesus