Serving God - Part 2
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Serving God - Part 2
Serving God - Part 2
13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
pray
Confession of Faith
I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith! In Jesus Name
Introduction
Serving God -
Serving God -
this message is a bit of a challenge for me, because it is hitting home in our church and in many churches around the world… But we need to address it because my task is to preach in season and out!
The Place
The Place
The place where we serve God in ministry IS HERE ON EARTH!
The world is the place where We as believers should move about and salt
The world is where we should live and minister
Here’s Why?
Because the world is decaying and rotting,
Because the world is corrupt and foul.
Because people in the world are hurting
Because the world is confusing not only our young people, but so many of us in our middle years and older are now confused about what is expected of us!
There are too many of us (meaning) believers living as though we are already in heaven: safe and secure from all harm.
We are not paying enough attention to the people in this world
We are not paying attention to the needs of people, to the needs of this world
Remember - While you and I are on this earth, we are called to salt and flavor the earth!,
Let me say this - If the church is a salt factory and the world is a market place for salt.
Then I believe too much salt is being stored and locked up at the church. There is not enough salt being sent out into the marketplace.
Here is the result - the world is decaying like rotting meats or vegetables , because there is not enough salt to preserve it and flavor it!
2 Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
The Mission
The Mission
Our Mission is to salt the earth.
We are the salt of the earth However,
Your mission is to penetrate this world with the message of the Good News, The Message of The Gospel of Jesus Christ
Your mission is to Flavor this world with the Love of God
Your mission is to preserve this earth realm
But two things are necessary before you can salt the earth.
1. You must have must have salt in yourself
1. You must have must have salt in yourself
50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
2. You must spread out into the world.
2. You must spread out into the world.
But one thing must be known when a believer scatters into the world: his salt is necessary and useful.
There is no salt other than the believer's salt.
There is nothing else that can salt the earth, nothing whatsoever.
The task is ours as believer's and ours alone.
The success of the mission rests upon the believer and him alone.
6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
Judgment
Judgment
Here is my concern:
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.
The danger for the disciple - the danger for the believer is that of becoming useless and destructive.
See Salt typically does not lose its saltiness and flavor.
But just like the salt in the of Jesus Christ the salt was gathered in such a manner that dirt and other impurities were often mixed with it.
The salt was then became useless and good for nothing.
In fact, it actually destroyed the fertility of the soil. Therefore, it was not only useless, but destructive.
Can I keep this real with you...
I believe this is a picture of the backslider,
A back slider is a believer who loses there flavor and saltiness
This is the person whose testimony as to why the are a believer has no impact
I see three things about this person
a. They becomes useless just as salt does.
b. They have no value in the kingdom of God. They may as well be cast out and trodden underfoot.
c. They actually destroys the productivity of others by becoming a stumbling block!
62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
26 Then the evil spirit goes out and brings seven other spirits more evil than it is, and they go in and live there. So the person has even more trouble than before.”
38 Those who are right with me will live by faith. But if they turn back with fear, I will not be pleased with them.”
20 They were made free from the evil in the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But if they return to evil things and those things control them, then it is worse for them than it was before.
If our salt loses its flavor, we will experience the judgment of God.
a. We will be cast out.
13 “Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.
b. We will be like castaways.
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
c. We will experience loss when we appears before the judgment seat of Christ.
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward.
15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
If our salt loses its flavor, what is going to restore its flavor? There is nothing. Once the saltiness is gone from salt, it is gone. It can no longer salt the earth.
There is no one other than Jesus Christ who can salt and save us from decay.
If profess to follow Jesus and your testimony remains bland, useless, of no impact, or corruptible watch out, because you run the risk of never being salted again!
Repent and come back to Jesus - Let him restore your salt!