10250 North Freeway @ West Road
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10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
What We Believe and Why - Vol. II
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson
Copyright - Lester Hutson -
1982
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express
written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.
Chapter Forty Eight
Salt Without Savor
INTRODUCTION: Text: Luke 14: 34,35
Next, we will discuss salt that has lost it's savor from Luke 14: 34,35, which says, "Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dung hill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." The truth of this text is so pungent and powerful that it is stated in two other places in the Bible: Matthew 5:13 and Mark 9:50.
I. FIRST, I WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS THE LITERAL SENSE OF THE WORDS OF THE TEXT.
A. It is evident from the context that our Lord is talking about the common, ordinary salt with which almost all men are familiar.
1. This is the salt which results from an equal, common bond of the two natural elements: sodium and chloride.
2. This kind of salt is common around the world and is necessary to the diet of human beings.
B. Salt serves two very important functions.
1. It is first important to the taste of food. Our Lord mentions the savor of salt, which is a reference to the fact that it is used to flavor food. No doubt every person listening to me right now is familiar with how important salt is in cooking. Without it, food has an altogether different and usually undesirable flavor.
2. Salt also is a preservative. It is especially used in meats to retard spoilage. Thousands of tons of salt are used every year for this purpose.
C. The salt that was used then, and is generally used now, in the Middle East, was different than the salt with which most of us are familiar.
1. The salt used in the Middle East is not manufactured by boiling clean salt water, nor is it quarried from mines, but it is obtained from marshes along the seashore, as in Cyprus, or from salt lakes in the interior, which dry up in the summer. Salt taken from these marshes, or dry lake beds, is almost always full of many impurities.
2. Furthermore, salt effloresces when exposed to the raw elements. It collects moisture and impurities from the air and reacts to adjacent substances. Thus, its quality is deteriorated.
D. I call these facts to your attention so that you may better understand what our Lord meant when He spoke of salt losing its savor and being cast out and trodden under foot.
1. It was quite common for the salt in these Eastern countries to be so impure, and become so mingled with vegetable and earthly substances, that it completely lost its saltiness.
2. Once salt deteriorated to such a condition as that, it was of absolutely no value in flavoring food or as a preservative. When salt so effloresces and deteriorates, it turns to a no-good dust. It does not turn to fruitful soil, however. In such a state, it hasn't enough saltiness to make it useful as a flavoring agent or as a preservative, but it does have enough chemical residue to cause it to destroy the fertility of the soil on which it is placed. Therefore, this salt could not be placed in the fields as a fertilizer, thus enabling you to understand the words of our Lord when He said, "It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dung hill." (Luke 14:35) Such salt is not only good for nothing itself, but it actually destroys all fertility wherever it is thrown, and this is the reason why it is cast into the street. There is no place about the house, yard or garden where it can be tolerated. No man will allow it to be thrown on his field, and the only place for it is in the street, and there it is cast to be trodden under the feet of men.
3. You would be hard pressed to think of anything much more useless and repulsive than salt without savor. It's corrosive, destructive effects render it a liability rather than an asset. It cannot simply be thrown out and forgotten, but much care must be taken to keep metals and plants from it, for it will have a very destructive effect upon either.
4. Our Lord did not speak these words to merely teach us a lesson on the physical properties of salt. He merely used salt as a physical object with which to communicate a spiritual truth. And there is a striking parallel between physical salt and God's people.
II. AS SALT SHOULD BE SALTY, GOD'S PEOPLE SHOULD BE PURE AND ZEALOUS.
A. The Biblical concept of Christianity is that of militancy, zeal and a bold stand.
1. You don't have to wonder where the champions of the Bible stood on the issues of their time. They were a vocal group, known well by all, and not ashamed of their positions. They were not waiting somewhere in the background for politicians and unconverted men to take the initiative to bring about justice and right in the land; instead they were right on the forefront, leading in the struggles for justice and truth.
2. The Christians of Acts 4:29 prayed, "Grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word." Boldness, zeal, and militancy is a marked characteristic of God's people in the Bible.
B. You could hardly read the language of the Bible without seeing that God wants His people to be bold, vocal and unashamed of their stand in Him.
1. The thinking of God for His people is expressed in Isaiah 58:1, which says, "Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins."
2. The fact that we should not be hidden somewhere among the stuff as Saul was in I Samuel 10:22, is well pointed forth in Matthew 5:16, where Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven."
3. The words of Jesus Christ in Mark 9:50 are, "Have salt in your selves."
4. Titus 2:14 says that Jesus Christ gave Himself for us that He might "redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
5. Instead of being timid, recessive, and quiet about what you believe to be the truths of God's Word, Luke 14:23 says, "Go out into the highways, and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled."
6. Listen to Philippians 2:15. This passage tells us to, "Be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world." That passage from the Word of God. It is not the will of our God that we be timid and ashamed of the truth. Wherever we are, we are to let the light of truth shine forth in us, and that would include the job, at school, in the home, with the neighbors, in politics, and in every other area of life.
7. The apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, "But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you." (Galatians 4:18) The truth of that statement has not changed any since it was written. It is still just as good to be zealously affected today, in a good manner, as it was several hundred years ago. Zeal and militancy in just causes is right.
8. Paul told the Corinthians in II Corinthians 9:2, "Your zeal hath provoked very many." Zeal kindles zeal. Zeal in a few of God's people would be like a torch among others. God's Word therefore tells those who are slack and lukewarm in the service of God to repent of that condition and to be zealous. (Revelation 3:19)
B. If you think God's people should not be militant and vocal, and take a leadership position and a Godly stand on the issues of the day, you ought to consider some of the Bible characters who obviously honored the Lord.
1. Can you picture John the Baptist as timid, unwilling to take a stand, except within the walls of some temple? His audience did not only consist of those who agreed with his positions. No, he spoke to the Pharisces, the Sadducees, the wicked rulers of Judah, Israel, and to lawyers, doctors, military men, and dozens of others. And, he didn't pat them on the back, close his eyes to their wickedness, and take a middle of the road position. He didn't figure God's people ought not to take a stand on political issues. Listen to his words in Matthew 3:7 to the Pharisees and Sadducees, "O generation of vipers, who bath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" He continued in verse 8, "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." If you think John didn't believe in taking a stand on political issues and public decency and morality, you ought to consider the 14th chapter of Matthew. Verses 3 and 4 will tell you quickly that John was in prison because he had said, "It is not lawful for thee (Herod) to have her. " (his brother Philip's wife) You may say, "Well, I don't believe John the Baptist ought to have been involved in issue like that. He ought to have just preached the gospel and stayed out of public issues." You may be of the school of thought that thinks God's people ought to stick to preaching and worshipping inside the walls of some church and that they ought to stay out of public afthirs. But, it really doesn't matter a great deal what you think. What does matter is what God thinks, and Matthew 11:11 will tell you what God thought about the conduct of John the Baptist. Jesus Himself said, "Verily I say unto you, Among them that are bom of women there bath not risen a greater than John the Baptist..."
2. Elijah the prophet is another case for your consideration. The book of I Kings talks at great length about this Godly man. When the king of the land sinned against God, this prophet of God met that king face to face and told him of his wrong, and said to him "In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." (I Kings 21:19) This man of God obviously didn't think God's people shouldn't have a voice in politics and with politicians. When the whole nation of Israel turned away from God, this mighty and bold prophet met the evil prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and publicly condemned them and called upon the people of Israel to stand behind and follow the true and living God. I Kings l8 will tell you about that.
3. For walking right up to the headquarters of a false religion and condemning it publicly, a preacher of God's Word, or Christian today, would be condemned as a bigot and of meddling in business that was not his. And a great portion of this condemnation would come from fellow preachers and fellow Christians, although Peter and John did just that in Acts 3. They caused a public uproar, and there is not one person who can deny the fact that God was honored by it all.
4. Where do you think the apostle Paul went on his missionary journeys? Do you think he simply went to those who already believed in Jesus Christ and limited his ministry to preaching the gospel within the walls of some church building? You obviously have no knowledge of the book of Acts. As in Acts 13:14, the book of Acts will tell you time and again that Paul went right to the Jews and even into their synagogues and confronted them with their wrong doings and false beliefs. It was there that he not only tore down their falsehood, but that he also preached Jesus Christ. When he arrived in Athens, Greece, he went right to the public stronghold of pagan religion and politics, Mars Hill, and he didn't just go there and sit down and listen. Instead, he stood right up and challenged the falsehoods that were being propagated in a public way. Acts 24 will show you how this Godly, zealous, militant Christian stood right up and spoke of Christ to kings and rulers of the country. This man wouldn't fit in very well today. He would receive the scom of most of the preachers and Christians that I know. But, I am here to praise God and say that he received the acclaim of God. And I wish to God that there were more of us like him today.
5. I don't mind telling you that the brand of Christianity that I see in the Bible is the bold, unashamed, militant brand. And I am not afraid to tell you today that I wish we had some more Daniels, Mordecais, Jeremiahs, and Stephens in our day.
III. LIKE SALT THAT HAS LOST ITS SALTINESS, I AM SORRY TO SAY THAT TOO MANY OF GOD'S PEOPLE IN MODERN DAYS HAVE GROWN AS SILENT AS A TOMBSTONE.
A. They have let the devil deceive them into thinking that God's people should limit their activities of a religious nature to the walls of some church building and the company of others who believe as they do.
1. They will not carry their religious convictions to their family because they are afraid they might upset the harmony and balance of the family if they do.
2. They will not carry their religious convictions to their neighbors because they wouldn't want to do anything that might cause them not to get along well with the neighbors.
3. They will not carry their religious convictions to their friends, because they are afraid they might lose their friendship if they do.
4. They will not carry their convictions to the job because they are firmly convinced that you should not mix religion and business.
5. They will not carry their convictions to other religious denominations, because they don't want to be guilty of proselytizing or be bigoted in thinking that theirs' is the only one.
6. They will not carry their convictions to the public political scene, because they are certain that Christians should not get involved in politics. They believe that the so-called "separation of church and state" forbids them from speaking about Godliness in any political or public situation.
7. I tell you that it is accurate to say that most of God's people never talk about God and Godly principles to anybody who doesn't agree with them. Jeremiah once said in Jeremiah 20:9, "I will not make mention of him, nor speak anymore in his name." Jeremiah repented of that, as the latter part of that verse will show, but a great many of God's people today have taken that position, and they've never repented of it. They are determined that they are not going to speak about God and Godliness to anybody outside of their own little inner circle. And, they are going to feel resentful of, and critical of, any of God's people who do, thinking those people are over-zealous, fanatical, and out of line. What a God-dishonoring shame such thinking is.
B. Salt ought to be tasty, and it ought to prevent decay, and God's people ought to let the world get a taste of Godliness, and they ought to be preventing the world from spiritual rot and decay, but very few of God's people are doing that any more.
1. They will not take a stand, except within the walls of a church building or within the company of people of like mind, though in that setting they will talk as loud as anybody and be as bold as a lion. But, you get them out of that little controlled, sheltered environment, and they grow as silent as a tomb and as meek as a lamb.
2. Don't misunderstand. God's people ought to be vocal and bold within the church, but that vocalness and boldness shouldn't stop when they leave the church building. As Jesus told the Pharisees who tithed, but who omitted justice and mercy in their lives, "These ought ye to have done,and not to leave the other undone." (Matthew23:23) What He is saying is that they should have given their rightful portion to the Lord, but they should also have done justly and righteously. And, as Christians ought to speak up for the Lord in church, they ought also to speak up for the Lord in every other place where they go.
3. It is a God-dishonoring shame for Godliness and principles of righteousness that are set forth in the Bible to mean so little to one of God's children that he is apathetic and unconcerned about it. To that weak, apathetic and mealy mouthed Laodician church of Revelation 3, our Lord said, "I would that thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. " (Revelation 3:15-16) Folks, God wants convictions, not mere preferences. He wants your faith in Him and your convictions in His words to mean so much to you that you will stand for them like a lion, regardless of whether you're facing fellow church members, political leaders, fellow employees, family members, neighbors, or the devil himself.
4. Fellow Christian, God has told you in Mafthew 5:16 to let your light shine. He has told you in Philippians 2:15 that it is to shine to a crooked and perverse nation. Now I ask you, "Where is your light shining?" Is it only shining to your fellow Christians and to your fellow church members? Or is it indeed shining to the world? Answer this question, fellow Christian, "Where is a light needed most: in a roomful of light or in the darkness?" I think you know the answer to that question, and I think that deep down in your heart, as a child of God, you know you ought to be ashamed of yourself for taking such a timid, recessive, and spineless position for the cause of our God.
5. Through magazines, on television, in newspapers, on billboards, on radio, in conversations on the job, in conversations with neighbors, and at every level of political authority, Satan, through his people, advocates every ungodly idea imaginable, and tries to impose those ungodly ideas upon all of us, yet we Christians offer almost no opposition, nor do we advocate God's position in these matters. No sir, we sit around with the idea that we shouldn't be involved, and Christians shouldn't speak up, and that we should limit our activities to preaching the gospel inside the walls of some church building to people who already agree with us.
6. You say, "Preacher, I don't like for you to talk like that I to me. " Well, I wonder how many of you have ever written a letter to a congressman, gone to a public hearing on some evil law, or in favor of some Godly legislation, have ever made a phone call to one in authority to advocate his taking a proper stand on some law that is going to affect us all? How many of you have ever written a letter to an advertiser complimenting him for sponsoring decent programs, or who have ever written a letter to an advertiser expressing your disapproval for his sponsorship of sex oriented, profane, or violent advertising, or who have ever picketed and evil establishment? How many of you have ever rented time on television or radio to advocate some just cause? How many of you have ever written a letter to the editor or bought advertising space in a newspaper, to stand in favor of God and something that is right, or against the devil and something that is wrong? How many of you have ever set forth to convince your family, neighbors, fellow employees, or anybody else, of some Godly position? I expect the answer to these questions is an almost universal, "Not me."
7. If that is true, then you are admitting to yourself that you are not like Elijali, Daniel, Stephen, Paul, Peter or John. You are admitting that you are not practicing a Bible brand of Christianity. You don't have the kind of convictions the Word of God calls for, and you don't take the kind of stands the Word of God says God's people ought to take. You are admitting that you are salt that has lost its savor.
8. If you are like that, fellow Christian, I ask you, "Of what value areyou to the cause of Christ?" Jesus said, "Neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dung hill; but men cast it out." (Luke 14:35) The cause of our God might be just as well off if it didn't even have you in it. You are not only of no value within yourself, you are a discouragement and a bad influence on evry body you touch. I tell you that it is time for you to rise up and take a stand for the cause of our God, not only in private, but in public.
IV. I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME SHOWING YOU WHERE THE REAL PROBLEM OF SALT WITHOUT SAVOR LIES.
A. I believe a great percentage of this problem lies squarely on the shoulders of God's pastors.
1. To whom has God given the foremost responsibility to lead in rightousness and Godliness? From where shall right counsel and leadership come?
a. It is a certain fact that Godliness and justice will not come from unconverted men. You cannot expect politicians and atheists to take the lead in Godliness and righteousness. Industrial leaders are concerned with making money and building buildings and reputations. They are not concerned about Godliness. You cannot expect educators to take the lead in such matters. In fact, they have the idea that you should not mix Godliness and Christian character with education. Politicians will not take the lead in Godliness and righteousness.
b. The answer is that God's people are the ones who are responsible for taking the leadership in right causes. I believ Jesus Christ was talking to bom again believers when He said, "Ye are the salt of the earth." (Matthew5:13) It is God's people who Ephesians 6 says are fighting the spiritual warfare against wickedness, and in favor of righteousness. It is to these born again believers that Ephesians 6:13-17 says, "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Brethren, it seems evident to me that if the Word of God has any clearness at all, God's people are to be soldiers at the forefront of any cause that is right and just and Godly. There is not much question about the fact that God's people are to be the leaders in causes of Godliness and justice, but who is to lead God's people? The answer to that question is God's pastors. Acts 20:28 makes that clear when it says, "Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." God tells His people, regarding their pastors, "Remember them which have the rule over you, and have spoken unto you the word of God; whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation." (Hebrews 13:7) Jeremiah3:15 makes it clear that God's pastors should feed the people "with knowledge and understanding." Folks, God's pastors should lead the people, who, in turn, lead in the world in the causes of right and justice. So from whom should right counsel and leadership come? It should come from God's pastors. They are the ones who should give right counsel, and who should be at the forefront of leadership in causes of righteousness and Godliness among any people, in any nation, and if they fail in their responsibility, then right thinking and leadership is not likely to come from anybody.
2. But, my heart grieves to tell you that we are living in an age when God's pastors have taught, advocated, and practiced a different brand of Christianity than that set forth in the Bible.
a. Too many modem pastors have the idea that God's people, and especially His pastors, should not become involved in anything that deals with practical living, or that deals with governmental or public affairs. They say the church's place is to preach the gospel. That sounds very good, but it is not altogether true. The Lord's church ought to preach the gospel, but it ought not to stop there. The great commission of Matthew 28:19-20 also tells God's people to baptize converts, and then to teach them all the truths that are set forth in the Bible that are relevant to Christian conduct. Folks, the third aspect of the great commission is just as important as the first aspect, and it teaches Christians how to live in a real world. But too many of God's preachers are not interested in teaching people how to live in a real world and meet the issues of everydaylife. No, they are only interested in preaching about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, inside the walls of some church building.
b. In effect, they are saying, let the devil and his people make the laws that govern us, The clothes we wear, the billboards we see, the curriculum our kids get, the television shows we watch, the zones our churches are placed in, how we raise our kids, the standards of decency for our community, and the decisions and policies about the real world in which we live. And brethren you can believe for sure that when the devil and his people make the decisions and laws about the real world in which we live, those decisions and laws will not be based on Godliness, truth or decency. And, when we sit back and allow them to make the laws that govern us, set the standards of community life, and establish the attitudes of our community, we have to live in subjection to those laws, standards and attitudes, just as much as if we had made them ourselves. And when we sit timidly back and let Godless men dominate us with wickedness, we cannot justify it in the light of the Word of God.
c. Yet, we have a modern crop of pastors who are content to do just that. In fact, they discourage God's people from getting involved in the real world. The truth is that if you get militant and zealous about Godliness, and begin to let it permeate your daily life, many of your own fellow ministers will question and condemn you for it.
B. I want you to look at what the Bible has to say about God's pastors who fail to lead God's people to be zealous and militant in causes of Godliness and righteousness.
1. God said in Jeremiah 12: 10-11, "Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion underfoot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness. They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart. " Though this and certain other of these passages maybe a direct reference to political leaders, there is an application for those who pastor the Lord's churches today. When God's pastors lose their vision and leadership of right causes for God's people, the people invariably are scattered and become apathetic and unconcerned.
2. Isaiah 56:10-11 is a scathing attack on God's pastors who are indifferent to the real causes of the day. These verses say, "His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter." I fear that today, there are far too many of God's preachers who are lying down, blind watchmen, and sound asleep to the real issues of the day.
3. I call your attention to Ezekiel 34:1-6, "And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye cloth you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them."
4. Jeremiah 23:1-4 gives excellent insight into what God's pastors ought to be. These verses say, "Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people; Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold, I will visit upon you the evil of your doings, saith the LORD. And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase. And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord." If shepherds are to lead sheep, God's pastors are to lead God's people. They are not to sitback and offer no leadership while the people of God scatter into the worldly ways of apathy and ungodliness. Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 10:21, "For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the LORD: therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered." I say in honesty to every pastor that I know, that you had better stand now and lead your people to zeal and militancy, or the day will come when the political leaders of ungodliness in this country will shut your church down. You'd better not be apathetic and uninvolved in the things going on around you and with relation to the laws under which you live. If Godliness and freedom to practice Godliness is important to you, you'd better get on the front firing lines and take a stand for every position that is right and Godly, and against every position that is evil and tyrannical.
C. Fellow Christian, if you suppose that all God wants is for you to go through the rituals of worship inside the walls of some church building, then you are blind to what God wants out of His people.
1. God wants Godliness and zeal in your life every day that you live. Wherever you are, be it within the walls of the church, on your job, on the political scene, in your home, or wherever you are in public, as well as in private, He wants you to shine like a beacon of Godliness to everyone who sees you. Every Godly principle you learn in your church and from studying the Word of God should find its way into expression in your life daily.
2. Listen to what God says in Jeremiah 9:23-24; "Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight saith the Lord."
3. Oh, fellow Christians, especially fellow pastors, you are the salt of the earth. Don't let the devil neutralize your saltiness. Don't let him make you nothing but a bland mixture of chemicals that are of no value to yourself or to anyone else. Be salty. Flavor the earth with Godliness, and do everything you can to preserve it from rottenness and spiritual decay. Take a militant, zealous stand. In so doing, you will find your life of great worth to the cause of Christ, you will influence for the better everyone with whom you come into contact, and you will bring great honor and glory to the Lord in the process.
"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"