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Good morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
Do you like the flavor of ‘salty’? Let’s join a big crowd of people on a hillside in Galilee, Israel, likely near Capernaum, as Jesus gives us some wise advice about making an important difference in our world. You’ll find the story in Matthew 5.
We remember Matthew was one of Jesus’ disciples, and I’m sure his presence in the group always stirred a response, when people found out what his original occupation was. His family given name was Levi, which tells me his parents had high hopes that he’d be a very religious man, but instead his heart turned toward profit…lots of profit, even if it was ‘dirty money’. He became a tax collector, which meant as a Jewish man he collected taxes for Rome from Jews. History tells us these tax collectors were not paid very well by the Government, so they were permitted to extort additional tax revenues and keep the excess for themselves. Both Matthew and Zacchaeus in Jericho (Luke 19), evidently were wealthy as a result of their occupational prowess. They were also hated as traitors, by their fellow Jews.
Jesus’ meeting with Matthew, which invited him to leave tax collecting and join the traveling group, is recorded in Matthew 9, thus I’m presuming that Matthew may have been a bystander in the crowd, an observer, to the events of Matthew 5, and Jesus’ great sermon on the hillside, but he was not yet a committed follower of Jesus. Let’s join the crowd as Jesus is speaking, with verse 13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.”
It’s safe to assume most everyone on the hillside that day were Jews. God had set aside this ancestral family of people, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and his sons, to be a nation of people who would display, for the world to see, how a group of people would live if God was living among them as their God and King, providing for them, guiding and protecting them. (Exodus 29:45,46) So what was Jesus saying here, this day?
May I give you three Life Principles I think Jesus wanted them and us to grasp? First, Salt Delays Decay…would you agree? Every living thing decays with time, but salt is a powerful preservative and delays that natural decay. For centuries fisherman used salt to pack their fish before they could get it to market. So, what does this mean for you and me, followers of Jesus? How do we ‘delay’ the decay in our world?
Would you agree we first look for decay… emotional, moral, spiritual, relational, intellectual, integrity decay, in ourselves, and then in those closest to us, our family and dear friends. Then we counter that decay with whatever God truth applies. Here’s an example: “How can a young man keep his way pure?” Do you hear these words suggest there will be a natural moral decay in this person unless they take action? “By living according to Your Word. I seek You with all my heart; do not let me stray from Your commands. I have hidden Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You.“ (Ps. 119:9-11)
So my friends, do you have the ability to recognize any part of your life which is decaying with time, and do you know God’s truth well enough to counter it, delaying the decay? But the truth is we may be oblivious to our own decay, so do you have good enough friends that they’ll show you where they see evidence that your life is decaying? And will you then take action, or will you discount their help and let your life decay?
Remember, all living things naturally decay, it’s the “Eden Effect”, the result of God’s rejection from the Garden of Eden and the perfect utopia He had established for Adam and Eve when they instead chose to follow Satan’s deception and invited him into their garden. (Gen. 3) God’s response is found in Genesis 4 and that includes DECAY for every living thing!
So look at your social group, your church, the schools of your children, the politicians of the area where you and your family live… do you see moral, spiritual, intellectual, relational, integrity decay? What does God want you to do about that? What if you do nothing?
Here’s another Salty Life Principle: Salt STIMULATES Healing! If you have spent much time near the ocean, you understand this. A cut or blister or most any type of skin problem will be stimulated to healing by immersion in the ocean! If your dog has ticks or fleas, a swim in the ocean will help! If you have a sore throat, have you discovered gargling with warm salt water will start the healing process? Listen to Psalm 119:25-28 “I am laid low in the dust, preserve my life according to Your Word. I gave an account of my ways and You answered me; teach me Your decrees. Cause me to understand the way of Your precepts, that I may meditate on Your wonderful deeds. My soul is weary with sorrow, strengthen me according to your Word.” My friends, have you experienced the help of a “salty” friend when you’ve been in a dark, discouraging place? As we invite the healing work of God in our lives, and God RESTORES us, then we can be ‘salty friends’ to others, speaking words of encouragement and pointing them to the healing work of God in their lives. Can we do that?
May I give you a third Life Principle for Salty Followers of Jesus? Salt Tenderizes! Now we know that’s true with meat and other such things, but what does it look like with people?
Would you agree living normal life tends to harden us, callus us, so that we are insensitive to the needs of people around us. We are also insensitive to how we come across with our attitudes and vocabulary, and even tone of voice or body language? So HOW do we seek some help with this? Listen to Paul: “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:16-19) Do you see the power of understanding and owning the outrageous, almost indescribable, life-transforming LOVE of God? Remember the power of Romans 8:34-39?
OK my ‘Walking with Jesus” friends, what needs to happen in you and me, if we are going to be Salty Christ Followers who could have the Salt Effect that Jesus wants us to have, on every person in our family, our social group our church, even our school or workplace and finally even with people we don’t know but with whom our paths intersect!
Could I invite you to really ponder this deeply? Would you agree everywhere you look most people desperately need “Salty Christ Followers” to help them? Every aspect of our world is in decay, and most people carry deep wounds, and thus most people have built strong defenses to protect themselves from any more pain. And now when we add the COVID-19 isolation and job loss and fear of the virus… oh my do you see Jesus’ words “You are the SALT of the earth” are exactly what is needed right now!? So. . .what will it take for you to be as Salty as Jesus would like you to be if He were walking in your shoes today?
Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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