Salt and Light (2)

Intro

So to all those who cook, if what you are making has little taste, what do you typically do. Add spices, herbs, salt! Many of us likes to Salt our foods. Not necessarily because we like the taste of salt but we like how it heightens whatever it is that is salted. Salt is fairly important to foods. Everything in moderation of course. But a little salt always helps, right?

We all need a little light. coming home in the evenings. Street lights. Headlights. You take a flashlight with you when you go camping, right?

Salt

Salt in the Bible is used as a preservative and an element of purification. Think about Lots wife being turned into a pillar of Salt, and listen to this verse in Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 29:23 CEB

Look at all its land burned by sulfur and salt, unsuitable for planting, unable to grow or produce any vegetation, as devastated as Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim, which the Lord devastated in anger and wrath!

Salt was also used as a additive to the sacrificial offerings to God.

Leviticus 2:13 CEB

You must season all your grain offerings with salt. Do not omit the salt of your God’s covenant from your grain offering. You must offer salt with all your offerings.

2 Kings 2:20–21 CEB

He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put some salt in it.” They did so. Elisha then went out and threw salt into the spring. He said, “This is what the Lord has said: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death and miscarriage.”

Common English Bible Chapter 2

He said, “Bring me a new bowl, and put some salt in it.” They did so. 21 Elisha then went out and threw salt into the spring. He said, “This is what the LORD has said: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death and miscarriage.”

L

Salt cannot be preserved on its own. If It loses its saltiness, then it cannot be a pure preservative anymore. Only thing you can do with it now, is throw it out. So that is what we know about Salt. So what do we know about Light?

Light

Light

John 8:12 CEB

Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Light show everything. It is a good thing that chases away the dark. This sanctuary would look different with the lights off. At night, we turn on lights so we can see everything. We have lamps with lampshades to help direct the light because sometimes it could be to bright or shine up and out instead of on a table or to light a path. That is why it says we are a shiny city on a hill. We show Light. We show the Light of Christ. So, particularly in terms of what Christ is saying here, who is Christ.

Jesus is the Law and the One who the Prophets Pointed Towards

He has come to fulfill the Law and Prophets. Every prophetic word spoken proclaims His coming, His return, the Why and the How.

The Law is God’s command. It is what we are to say and do. He came so that our obedience to the law doesn’t result alone in our Salvation, but our Salvation is found in Him!

Iota! Not one iota. Smallest particle. Iota is smallest stroke of a pen.

Serif is the smallest stroke of a pen in a Greek letter.

Jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew Alphabet

Jot is the smallest letter in the Hebrew Alphabet

Tittle is the little bend or point on a letter that distinguishes it from other letters. Jesus is the letter of the Law, the Alpha and the Omega. Everything comes through Him and we go through Him.

Jesus is what we are preserving and showcasing

Jesus is our Salt. He is the preservation of ultimate sacrifice which was also Him. He is also what makes us pure. When we have Christ, he makes us pure.

Jesus is our Light. Remember just in chapter 4, the prophesy of Isaiah regarding Christ was recorded to say that those who are walking in darkness have seen a great light? In John, one of Jesus’ I AM statements say:

John 8:12 CEB

Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

(CEB)

Jesus continues to teach in the temple

12 Jesus spoke to the people again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

Our righteousness must be better than the pharisees who are the most knowledgeable about the law and also make others abide by the law.

So are we?

How? We are to be the Salt and Light for the World as Jesus is the Salt and the Light in us. We cannot hide from the world. We are bright, shines on the world the Glory of our God! We are to be out in the world offering the righteous example of life. Purifying the world in a sense, but we are not the ones who make the world pure, that is the job of Christ. But we are to be the example and good purifying seasons in the world that can make the world a better place when we live right and do the right things.

The Global Church is really not doing this well. In some place, they are, in others they are not. It seems that we are more of an example of the world then for the world. With our divisions and arguments clouding the Christian witness. You can say that we are losing our Saltiness. You can say that our light is going dim. Thank God that His Son can not lose Salt and Light. We must get back to Him. Get our Salt and Light from Christ. God is and will throw out the Salt that has lost its purifying and healing properties. God will shine through all darkness.

How can we do better?

We must return to Christ.

Righteousness and Love for all can coexist and the church is supposed to be the example. Remember that we are to be the example. He is our salt and our Light. We cannot survive a part from Him. If we are losing our Salt, it is because we are not a part of Him. If we are losing our Light, it is because we are separated from our Light source.