SALT & LIGHT
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SALT
SALT
MATTHEW 5:13-
“You are the salt of the earth, 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.
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
WHEN WE READ THE SCRIPTURES WE CAN’T JUST LOOK AT THEM AND THINK WHAT IS JESUS SAYING HERE? WITHOUT ACTUALLY DIGGING DEEPER AND UNDERSTANDING WHY JESUS WOULD HAVE USED THE EXAMPLES THAT HE DID.
LOOKING AT THIS PASSAGE OF SCRIPTURE WE CAN SEE THAT JESUS LIKENS US TO SALT AND LIGHT. FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SALT IN BIBLICAL TIMES AND THIS WILL HELP US TO UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES BETTER.
SALT WAS USED TO SEAL A TRUCE BETWEEN FORMER ENEMIES OR AS AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN CLOSE FRIENDS. A LICK OF SALT WAS WHAT SEALED THE DEAL FOR THEM.
Entering into a Covenant of Salt means binding oneself to another in utmost loyalty and truthfulness, even suffering death, rather than breaking the covenant. For this very reason a Covenant of Salt was never done lightly or haphazardly – it deserves serious respect. To the ancient Hebrews, salt represented purification, and was also symbolic of enduring friendship, honesty, and loyalty
Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.”
He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
Then he went to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says the Lord, I have healed this water; from now on neither death nor miscarriage shall come from it.”
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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?
2 CHRONICLES 13
Today some Eastern people still use the phrase: “There is salt between us.” Having no salt, meant disloyalty and barrenness.
SLIDE SALT RICH IN .......
Salt is rich in Spiritual Metaphors…
Salt is an important ingredient of life. The Biblical lore of salt begins in
You shall season all your grain offerings with salt. You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt.
; , where it becomes part of YHWH's Covenant with humanity and was directed to be part of all the grain offerings in the Temple.
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.”
, where it becomes part of YHWH's Covenant with humanity and was directed to be part of all the grain offerings in the Temple.
where it becomes part of GODS Covenant with humanity and was directed to be part of all the grain offerings in the Temple.
Salt is a vital part of GODS Covenant Rite before Moses and its symbolism teaches many important spiritual lessons.
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?
), and its symbolism teaches many important spiritual lessons.
and its symbolism teaches many important spiritual lessons.
Salt is Divine - it is believed to be able to drive off demons. It is interesting to note only the dark side forbids its use, you will not find any salt on the table or in the food served at a black witch’s sabbath or in any pagan religious offering.
Medieval times you would enter into a house or castle and you would be given a piece of bread and you had to dip it in the salt and eat it, that meant that you entered into the house pure.
Salt historically symbolized hospitality - and GODS people should be the world’s most hospitable people.
Salt heals - if you settled a dispute with your neighbour then you would invite the person into your home to share a dish of salt. Each of you would lick your finger, dip it in the salt and then eat the salt together. This is the symbol of friendship that heals the rift.
Salt is pure - germs cannot live in it. By analogy, Believers are to be pure and have salt in us
Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
), and at birth salt was rubbed on a new born baby's skin to purify it ().
and at birth salt was rubbed on a new born baby's skin to purify it
And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
And as for your birth, on the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to cleanse you, nor rubbed with salt, nor wrapped in swaddling cloths.
).
Salt purifies - by analogy, the Believers are the salt of the earth (). They purify the world by not accepting false philosophies, dishonest ways of doing business, selfish desires, etc.
Salt, just a dash, adds to the taste and pleasure of a meal (). By analogy the Believers should add - just a dash - of spiritual interest, hope, and excitement to other people’s lives. Too salty ruins the taste of the meal, and the spiritual message.
Salt produces thirst, and the Believers should produce spiritual thirst in those around them.
without salt slide
No salt in the diet leads you into an early graveyard, and within a month you will die a slow agonizing death - you figure out the analogy! Sodium regulates the passage of nutrients into the cells. Without it, nutrients cannot enter your cells and you will have malnutrition and exhaustion no matter how good your diet. Without our CREATOR we would be spiritually starved and morally exhausted.
Salt-famine causes civilization to collapse. During Europe’s Dark Ages, due to glacial melting, the ocean levels rose flooding all the salt flats of Europe causing a salt famine
(ref. Economic and Social History of Medieval Europe by Belgian historian Henri Pirenne).
The daily average ration fell to less then two grams per person and caused many to die from dehydration and madness. To get salt, some who were stronger would assault the weak, cut their jugular vein and drink the victim’s salty blood, giving birth to the myth of the vampire.
The salt crystal is an enduring mineral. Large salt mine deposits, surviving thousands of years, and under great pressure, still hold their flavor and taste.
Salt can dissolve in water - but its quality remains. By analogy, Believers are in this world but not of this world (Jam.6-13).
Salt can be subjected to extreme heat and it still retains its particular chemical composition. But we are warned, as the salt of the earth, we should not lose our flavor (; ; ).
Salt can only be ruined if it reacts chemically with some other substance. By analogy, the Believers should not be influenced by the deceitful riches and the material cares of this world.
REF: www.homeworship101.com/fyi_salt_covenant.htm
PURE SALT SLIDE
A SODIUM FREE DIET IS NOT WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR, WE ARE LOOKING FOR THE PURE SALT NOT THE “REFINED SALT”.
It is amazing how much we have forgotten about our salt filled heritage and its powers. We have also forgotten much about the quality of salt. Today’s debased white table salt deserves all of its bad reputation and all the misdeeds as charged. and you don’t want to put it on the Holy table.
The salt that honors GODS table is pure, unrefined, living sea-salt.
Real sea-salt is the most complex mineral element on the planet. It supplies all 92 vital trace minerals needed by the body, such as sulfur, magnesium, calcium and potassium, all in their natural organic, easy to assimilate state. By contrast, refined salt contains only two elements. Salt refinement means everything good is taken out of it and sold off to other industries, while the supermarket consumer gets the debased junk that is left over.
DO WE WANT TO BE SALT THAT IS USED AND EFFECTIVE OR DO WE WANT TO BE TRODDEN UNDERFOOT.
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
LIGHT
LIGHT
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
blank slide
In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him.
He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
no slides for the rest of references
And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”
In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
(for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true),
and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.
This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.
Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
LIGHT PUTS A NEW PERSPECTIVE ON THINGS, IT SHOWS US THINGS THAT WOULD NOT OTHERWISE BE SEEN,
IT IS USED TO SHOW AS WELL AS BE SHOWN.
SOMETIMES WE PREFER TO BE IN THE DARK ABOUT THINGS BECAUSE WE DO NOT WANT PEOPLE TO SEE OUR IMPURITIES AND IMPERFECTIONS.
Let your holy life, your pure conversation, and your faithful instructions, be everywhere seen and known. Always, in all societies, in all business, at home and abroad, in prosperity and adversity, let it be seen that you are real Christians.
THE ONLY LIGHT WE NEED TO BE SEEING ON OUR IMPERFECTIONS IS THE LIGHT WE ALLOW GOD TO SHINE ON THEM.
NOTE I SAID WE ALLOW, BECAUSE WE HAVE FREE WILL YES WE CERTAINLY CHOOSE WHAT WE ARE GOING TO LET GOD DEAL WITH, SO IF WE SUFFER ANY LONGER, IT IS OUR OWN FAULT.
LIVING IN THE LIGHT AND AS A LIGHTENED LAMP FOR JESUS IS WHAT THIS VERSE IS TELLING US TO DO, HE IS SAYING, PLEASE DON’T THINK THAT IF YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN IT IS OK TO NOT MENTION IT WHEN YOU ARE IN A GROUP OF PEOPLE, OR WHEN PEOPLE ASK YOU WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU GO, “WELL YOU KNOW....” .
CONCLUSION
conclusion
JEUSUS TELLS US IN THIS SCRIPTURE, “YOU ARE THE LIGHT”. NOW GO SHINE, STOP HIDING IT AND WALK IN IT AND LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE BRIGHT AND STEADY FOR GOD, REMEMBER THAT YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO HAVE A BACK UP OF OIL FOR YOUR LAMP. BE ALWAYS PREPARED.
