According To Luke: The Salt Life

According To Luke: The Salt Life

Opening Illustration:

About 9 years ago my family moved to this area. For years, I had lived in central to north Alabama. I had visited the Gulf Coast on summer and spring break over the years but was unaware that South Alabama had it’s own distinct culture and lifestyle. Driving here on the Eastern Shore I noticed several tags that read “The Salt Life”. What exactly did that mean? I did not quite understand at the time what I know now. The Salt Life is a way of life for South Alabamians. The Salt Life is a philosophy for individuals who adore surfing, boarding, and all things relating to the shoreline and waves. People who live this lifestyle and support this philosophy let the world know by putting “The Salt Life” bumpersticker on their cars, trucks, and SUV’s. You still see them today and you see more of them as you travel towards Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. 

Is it possible though that we have missed the boat when considering “The Salt Life” and what it should really mean? Have we missed that Jesus coined “The Salt Life” long before people in South Alabama. 

Jesus states in Matthew 5:13 that “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.”

Jesus says that His followers are the salt of the world. What does that even mean? How can we be salt? 

Today, let’s answer the following question. Is “The Salt Life” a trite slogan or timely standard. Is “The Salt Life” just another bumper sticker in the pantheon of messages stuck to the back of cars or can it mean more? Could it be that we missing the point of what it means to truly live the salt life? 

Is “The Salt Life” A Trite Slogan or Timely Standard?

Background and Context:

This morning we are looking at Luke 14:34-35. Just two short verses. Remember that Jesus is now moving in the country side. Village to village. He is teaching along the way. He is turning His gaze to Jerusalem. He has met with His followers and the Pharisees. He has given difficult teachings about the cost to following Him. He has told His followers that following Him means that they will lose their relationships, their relaxation, and potential their riches. Following Christ means embracing suffering and hardship. Now, Jesus discusses that His followers are to be like salt. 

Salt preserves. It keeps things from going bad and decaying. It cleanses and disinfects. The Christian life being truly lived out before the eyes of people in the world will cause them to make a decision about the Christian faith. God has sent His Holy Spirit to call people unto Christ, who have been exposed to Christians who handle trials and deal with temptation under the direction of God's Word, the Bible. All who accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord will be preserved eternally.

So, let’s take a moment and find out what exactly that means. Open your Bibles to Luke 14:34-35 and let’s read together. 

Luke 14:34-35 ESV

34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Jesus Wants Us To Discover Salt’s…

I. Properties vs. 34

Luke 14:34 ESV

34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?

Point:

Don’t misunderstand Jesus. He is not talking so much about salts household properties, rather salt’s agricultural properties. Remember, Jesus is talking to a primarily agrarian society. Most of these folks were farmers and labored in the fields. They had extensive practice in salt and knew how salt could be used. The salt that we have in our homes differs greatly from the salt in the days of Jesus. Our salt is sodium chloride. The salts in Jesus’ day were mixtures of chlorides of sodium, magnesium, and potassium, with very small amounts of calcium sulfate (gypsum). Some of these would dissolve more quickly than others, while some were better able to withstand the elements. 

So, what I am trying to say with all of this scientific mumbo jumbo? The salt that Jesus is speaking of could be used, believe it or not, in the right quantities, as fertilizer. That’s right, salt could be used to help plantlike flourish. 

When Jesus states that salt can loose it saltiness or taste, He is referring to the process in which the compounds in  salt naturally disintegrate over time. Disintegrated salt loses a small amount of gypsum, which changes its “saltiness.” This change in saltiness makes it a less effective fertilizing agent. So when Jesus talked to his followers about losing their saltiness, he was talking about losing their fertilizing properties, their ability to bring about life and growth. There is nothing worse to a farmer than salt that does not have salty properties. 

Point:

As believers, we are also to be salt. We are to be fertilizer. We are to help the people, the church, the community around us flourish and grow. Like salt, many Christians over time have their spiritual properties erode. The world invades. Habits take over. Sin take root. When this happens, Christians lose their saltiness. They lose their ability to help other grow and their lose the potential of their primary quality. 

Question:

Are you a salty Christian? Are you helping your spouse grow in their walk with God? What about your children? Do they taste your salt? Do they see Jesus’ salty behavior in your life? What about work? Are you helping your co-workers grow and flourish? What about the church? There will be some who call themselves church members but do nothing but sit in the shadows. They sit on the pew and never activate their salt. 

Point:

Remember what Jesus says in Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” Jesus calls His followers the salt of the earth. He does not call them the salt of the home, the office, the vacation spot, or the ball field. NO! We are the salt of the earth! Everywhere we go, we are to be helping others grow. Flourish. Remade. Reborn. We are the fertilizer of the world. 

Matthew 5:13

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?

I. Properties vs. 34

II. Potential vs. 35

35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away.

Illustration:

A pastor and his wife decide to have the church deacons and their wives over for dinner. It was quite an undertaking, but the pastor and his wife want to be "Salt and Light" for the leaders of their church. When it comes time for dinner, everyone is seated and the pastor's wife asks her little four year old daughter if she will say grace. 

The girl says "I don't know what to say."

Her mom tells her, "Just say what I say honey."

Everyone bows their head and the little girl says, "O dear Lord, why am I having all these people over for dinner! Amen!"

You know, salty behavior has a lot of potential!

Point:

Now Jesus introduces us to an uncomfortable medium to discuss in a church setting. Since no one is present to actually hear it, I suppose it is ok. Jesus is talking about the manure pile. For the kids out there, poop.  Gross. It was way more comfortable and sanitary when Jesus discusses salt but now he brings in the pile of…well…you know. 

Point:

The reference to the manure pile has long been a source of confusion when viewing salt as seasoning in these passages. Jesus’ saying makes more sense when we realize that salt maintains the fertilizing properties of dung. It is common knowledge today that salt can be used to preserve food, but it’s been used as an agricultural preservative for fertilizer for centuries as well.

Salt keeps dunghills from rotting and becoming useless as fertilizer while enhancing the fertilizing properties of dung. 

Point:

I am sure glad that Jesus states that we are to be the salt of the world and not the manure of the world. Aren’t you? 

Point:

Again, the application that Jesus is making is that salt preserves. It does not just preserve meat and keep it from spoiling, but preserves our very ability to grow crops, feed animals, and take from the earth what we need to live our lives. We are called to preserve our families, children and spouses. We are called to preserve the church. We are called to preserve God’s Kingdom. We are called to preserve ourselves from a fallen world and we do that through the salt that the Holy Spirit provides.

Salt preserves. It keeps things from going bad and decaying. It cleanses and disinfects. The Christian life being truly lived out before the eyes of people in the world will cause them to make a decision about the Christian faith. God has sent His Holy Spirit to call people unto Christ, who have been exposed to Christians who handle trials and deal with temptation under the direction of God's Word, the Bible. All who accept Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord will be preserved eternally. 

Point:

Salt has another significant help or potential for us this morning. Salt kills. As stated earlier, in the right setting, with the right amount, salt serves as a natural fertilizer helping things grow. It also serves as a preservative. Yes, even to manure. But salt also, in the right amount, kills. Believe it or not, that’s a good thing. 

Point:

Every week, I do yard work. I love doing yard work. I don’t have any windows in my office and I starve for sunlight. So, on my off day, I like to spend my time outside on my mower. I love to edge, weeded, cut back shrubs and even pull weeds. I know, I am super weird. Part of my weekly practice is with round up. I walk through my flower beds and carefully spray weeds. I walk along my side walk and spray weeds trying to come up through the cracks. Round up works a lot like ancient salt. It kills weeds, thorns and thistles. In doing so, the yard and flower beds stay beautiful. The flowers can grow to their maximum and reach their potential. 

You are to be salt. You are to be salt that kills the weeds and thorns in the world. As believers, we stand against evil and wickedness. We stand for Christ, God’s Truth, His Word, and His Kingdom. We unashamedly proclaim the Lord’s coming and we stand as evangelist against the evil culture of this world. We root out racism. We stand for justice and work towards peacefulness. We destroy the strongholds of the devil and help people to be addictions and abuses. We help people in need. Christian salt, used properly kills the Devil’s weeds. 

Point:

All of this is true, but I have met some pretty salty Christians who don’t just kill the Devil’s work but they also, in their zeal, inhibit God’s work. Let me explain.

Point:

I will never forget it. I woke up on a Saturday morning when I was 13. By accident I glanced out the window of my home and notice that the grass in our front yard was not all green. There was a fair bit of brown mixed it with it. I did not think anything about it. Later that day, my dad told me to cut the grass. I went out to mow and noticed that the brown mixed in the green was actually a word. A pretty nasty, vile, and crude word at that. It stretched the entire yard and was unmistakable to people who passed by. You see my older brother had gotten on the bedside of a few bullies at school. They gave him a pretty hard time for about a year. Late one Friday night, they came by the house when we were all asleep and they poured their salt in our yard. Instead of killing weeds, their salt killed the grass. They did untold damage and caused a great deal of embarrassment to my family. 

You see, Christians can use their salt inappropriately. We can use our words to help and to hurt. We can use our salt to damage one another or to build each other up. Make sure that your salt grows and preserves instead of killing and discouraging. Remember, your salt has the potential to preserve, the potential to grow, the potential to drive out sin, and the potential to damage others. There is nothing worse than a salty Christian. Rather there is nothing better than a Christian being salty. I think you can see the difference. 

Mark 9:49-50 ESV

“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”

I. Properties vs. 34

II. Potential vs. 35

III. Power vs. 34-35

Luke 14:34-35 ESV

34 “Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? 35 It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Point: 

There is tremendous power in salt. Truly, amazing power. Salt was useful for teaching disciples about how to live their daily lives and how they can relate to the world around them. It is useful to preserve, grow, and kill weeds. It is useful to help food taste better. We all eat salt. 

Illustration:

For years my favorite food was a good steak filet. I love steak and still do. However, my favorite food has changed over the years. Today, my favorite food is sushi. Yes, I prefer sushi over steak and potatoes. To my fishermen friends, they ask me why I like to eat bait. Well I love it. I don’t just like it. My brother was the first one to introduce me to sushi. I tried it a few years back and immediately turned up my nose to it. Then he said that I was not eating it right. First, you cleanse your pallet with the ginger. Then you pour Soy Sauce in a small ramekin and add some wasabi. Then you dip your sushi in the Soy Sauce. The Soy Sauce concoction totally transformed what I thought was terrible into something that was absolutely delicious. I took what I thought I despised and transformed it into something delectable. Friends, that’s the power of salt. Salt is transformative. Your salt can transform an enemy to a friend. Your salt can transform a broken marriage into a blossoming marriage.

Illustration:

In preparing for this sermon, I ran across an article in Christianity Today concerning today’s subject matter, salt! The author was discussing the power of salt and he used an illustration from the Philippines concerning the proper harvest of coconuts. Did you know that most of the coconuts that are shipped to the United States are from the Philippines? Well, now you do. 

The Philippine Coconut Authority recently released a technology guide sheet for farmers titled, “SALT (Sodium Chloride): An Effective and Cheap Fertilizer for High Coconut Productivity.” The guide notes that salt accelerates crop growth and development, increases crop yield, minimizes damage to plants, and promotes environmental sustainability. According to the guide, between 1991 and 1997, farmers who fertilized with salt had a yield increase of 125 percent over unfertilized coconuts.

Point:

What if we were to listen to the teaching of Christ like the coconut farmers in the Philippines—or the ancient people of Palestine—rather than as modern Westerners who only use salt to spice up their food? How might a distinctly agricultural viewpoint open up new ideas in Jesus’ teaching here?

Salt penetrates, spreads all about and flavors. It inserts a new quality, substance and life. It can take bland, tasteless food and makes it enjoyable. A sprinkle of salt has a widespread effect. It changes that which it is put upon. Obedient Christians likewise penetrate and so flavor the world for Christ. True Christians salt those in the world with God's Word, thus intriguing them to "Taste and see that the Lord is good…”(Psalm 34:8)

Friends, there is power in salt. Are you wanting your life to be more productive? More useful? More fruitful? More glorifying to God? Perhaps you should check your salt intake. Most of us fill our lives with gossip, chasing fads, and relationships. We choose to medicate ourselves with YouTube, TV shows, and books. We choose to fill our lives with alcohol and pills in hopes that we will just be numb to pain and the world around us. Then we scratch our heads at the end of the day and wonder why we are not happy and fulfilled. Instead of filling your life with those things, I challenge you to fill your lives with the salt of God’s Word. His truth. Remember, God’s salt in your life preserves, grows, fertilizes the world around you, kills sinful behavior, and adds power to your life. 

Colossians 4:6 ESV

Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

In A Tasteless World, Be Salt!