SALT SPEAKS

I am the salt that Jesus spoke in His Sermon on the Mount. He wanted all God’s people to be like me. Why? Hear me as I speak through this message.

1. Salvation

I am drawn out from the sea. As long as I am in the sea, I am useless. Nobody takes the sea water to cook anything. I need to be channeled to salt beds where they crystallize me directly under the sun and finally I am made salt. So also, my dear friends, as long as you are one with the world, you are useless for God. Jesus said, “I have chosen you out of the world” (Jn 15:19). When you were lost in the world, God separated you, made the Sun of Righteousness to shine on you and made you the salt (2 Cor 4:6). That is why you are called the “Church” or in Greek, “Ecclesia” meaning “the called out.”

These days separation is a relative term. The line of demarcation between the world and the church is shifted as per convenience and likes of individuals instead of God’s standards in God’s Word. Dear child of God, are you clear about the line of demarcation? Are you true to God who made you salt?

2. Sanctification

People like to use me only if I look white and dirt free. For this, I need to go through a process of cleansing in the factory. I am boiled and the scum is removed. Again when I am dried, I look cleaner and whiter and I glitter. The more I am exposed to the sun, the more I glitter. Similarly you will be liked by people when you live holy. Whiteness is symbol of holiness (Rev 7:14; 1 Jn 1:7). That is the reason Jesus prayed to His Father to sanctify you (Jn 17:8,19). You need to go through a process of sanctification to bless others. The more you expose yourself to the Sun of Righteousness the more you will shine (Psa 34:5a). Keep looking to Jesus in worship and in His Word. You will not be used if you look dull and unclean. God’s way of sanctifying you is a hard process.

Jesus who compared you to salt also compared you to a branch of vine, and He claimed Himself to be the true Vine (Jn 15:1-5). First of all, He wants you to abide in Him. By doing that you bring forth fruits. But He wants more fruits from you. So He still cleanses you by cutting off the unwanted things from your life (v 3). Though it is sometimes painful, it is inevitable for bearing fruit faithfully and effectively. But only when you go through sanctification God will use you more and more.

3. Service

I am born to serve. There is no other purpose for me in this world. I savour anything that comes in contact with me. I make an influence. I bring about change.

Do you know the purpose of your living? It is to serve God who made you salt. You are a powerful commodity for Him. Like me you can bring about change in whatever you come in contact with. You can change people, families, circumstances etc., When you speak to the people they will change. As salt, even right now when I speak to you through this message, you will experience some change in you. I am also a taste maker. You can influence people and make them sweet. You can bless all those whom you come across.

4. Sacrifice

Jesus mentioned both symbols of salt and light at the same time to compare them to you. There is a reason behind it. Both salt and light are a blessing to people. If it is so, both have one thing in common. That is sacrifice. When a candle gives out light, it burns out to nothing. When I am mixed in the food stuff, I also reduce to nothing. During Old Testament times, salt was added to the burnt offering. Without salt there was no burnt offering (Ezek 43:24; Mk 9:49). It is impossible to serve God without sacrifice. In other words, the more you are prepared for sacrifice, the more God uses you.

This does not mean that you should be a pauper or a hermit. But this simply means that God is the owner of all things and you are only the user. I would like to illustrate this with a story. There was a rich businessman who announced sale of a pearl of great price. A crowd gathered around him. No body dared to throw a bid. At last one man dared to come forward. The bargain for sale cum purchase began. The businessman asked how much the buyer could pay. The buyer told him the cash amount he had taken with him to buy the pearl. The seller took note on a sheet of paper the details of all the possessions of the buyer one by one such as, his money at home, bank balance, his car, bungalow, movable and immovable properties, his wife children and finally he himself. He demanded the whole lot as the price for the pearl. The buyer because of his determination to buy the precious pearl agreed for the terms. The transaction was over.

Then the seller slowly moved towards the buyer with the list in his hand. He said, “Look, this paper will be with me. All the items listed out will be with you. From now on I am the owner of these and you are only the user.”

Dear reader, God does not want to deprive you of any good gift that pertain to this life. He wants you to prosper in all things as your soul prospers. But He wants that we should not be possessive of any blessings of God. Whenever He demands, we should be prepared to sacrifice it for Him.

Jesus spoke about sacrifice in Mt 16: 24-26. Preceding this passage He spoke about the power of binding and loosing (vs 19). This means if you want power (to bind and loose) you must be prepared to lose.

5. Security

As salt, I am used to secure things from being spoiled or rotten. When you cut lemon into pieces and leave them, they will rot. But if you apply me on those pieces, they come out as delicious pickle. Cut an animal and leave the skin. It will stink. But apply me. The skin can shine and be used for your bags and belts! The same way you are to preserve this rotting world from decay. As long as the Church is in this world, the enemy is kept at bay (2 Thess 2:7,12). Once you and I are taken away from this world, the world will perish because of unrighteousness and deception (v10). This is a clarion call for you to live righteously so that you may not lose your savour. Your righteousness will preserve others from unrighteousness.

6. Savour

There is always the danger of losing my savour. Keep me in a saucer. I slowly absorb moisture from the air and become watery. The very water from which I was weaned out is always a threat to me when I am exposed. That is why when Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth,” immediately He also added, “If the salt loses its savour, how can it be seasoned?” Is it not the same with you? The very world from which you have been separated is always a threat to you to loose your savour of righteousness.

God’s righteousness is your savour. You have a great responsibility to safeguard it. Think of the people of Israel. Though they were brought out from Egypt, the sin of Egypt kept biting their heals, trying to drag their feet back! Are you in anyway worried that some sin or temperaments of the old self still nagging you and dragging you back? Don’t worry. Though you are in the world, the world has no power over you (1 Jn 4:4). As long as Jesus is in you, you cannot lose savour.

In Jesus times, they also used to extract me out of the rocks taken from the banks of the Dead Sea. The cut rocky salts were boiled with water in big caldrons. During the process my savour left the rocks and got dissolved in water and finally I came out as pure salt on crystallisation. They still called the rocks as salt, but without my savour. These were crushed and thrown on the murky paths for the people to walk over without soiling their feet. That was what Jesus referred to as salt without savour. But God has not made you salt to be trodden under foot but to fulfill His purpose.

7. Sociable

Well, I am known as common salt. I am commonly available to the entire world to all people. I don’t differentiate between rich or poor; male or female; high caste or low caste; wise or fool. I am used by all. To the rich I am available in beautiful ceramic salt shakers but to the poor I remain in an ordinary earthen pot. I am adaptable as told by our Apostle Paul in 1 Cor 9:19-22. I am available for all nations, every tribe and every tongue. I am a global commodity. Are you an easily approachable person? Are you ready to serve any one, any time, in any place and in any capacity?

The people exchange me as a symbol of peace. Even nations make Salt Treaty to make peace with each other. Jesus also said, “Blessed are the peace makers” (Mt 5:9); “Have salt in yourself, and be at peace with each other” (Mk 9:50b). Let me close my story with an interesting incident that happened in a SSYM mission station in tribal village. Once, a tribal man came all the way to a weekly market walking 10 km, just to find out my price. He walked back home and brought the money walking up & down again to buy me and to take me home. Even for that poor tribal man I was so inevitable. He needed me. If you are the salt of the earth, how much more people like that tribal man needs you! They need to be reconciled with God and have peace within. According to the Indian writer, Tribal Challenge, there are 90 million tribal people in India. Only 20% of them have been reached with the gospel. What is your response if you are the SALT?