TOPIC:‌“When Life Goes Stale”

                 by Rev. Dr. Reg Dunlap

 

TEXT:‌Matthew 5:13

 

‌‌“You are the earth's salt. But if the salt should become tasteless what can

‌‌make it salt again. It is completely useless and can only be thrown out of

‌‌doors and stamped underfoot.”  (Phillips)

 

‌In the narrative before us, we find the Master leaving the glamour and attraction of the crowds in order that He might now isolate Himself with those who claimed to be His followers. For those disciples who heard His word and went in search of knowing and doing His will Jesus now had something immensely important to tell them. And now in the greatest sermon He ever preached, Jesus sets forth the character of life we should all seek to live.

 

‌As we permit our minds to penetrate into the meaning of the words of our text, we come upon one of the most outstanding characteristics of our Lord's teaching. That of using ordinary, common, everyday things for the conveying of some deep spiritual truth. Notice what I mean. Jesus states in verse 13 “you are the salt of the earth.” Now to whom was Jesus speaking? He was speaking to those whom He had just called “Blessed” in verses 3 through 11. Jesus was saying, “you who are meek, you who are merciful, you who are the peacemakers, you who are pure of heart, you who through poverty of spirit have entered the Kingdom of God, it is to you I am saying , “you are the salt of the earth.”

 

‌The question arises: Why does Jesus describe His disciples as salt? Surely there must be something of importance in the use of this word. Well, there is! Jesus is speaking here of a positive quality that is definitely needed in the description of every believer; Salt is the one thing that gives taste to whatever it touches. Now, says Christ to His disciples and to us as well, you should be like that. As someone has put it: “A salty Christian makes others thirsty for Jesus, the Water of life.”

 

‌As salt is indispensable to life so we as believers are indispensable to the program that God has for this world. But here's the catch: Just as salt can lose its flavor and freshness, thus becoming useless, so we as Christians can become spiritually stale, tasteless and ineffective. We can lose our spiritual freshness. So the question: Has life gone stale on you?

 

I.

 

‌Consider, first of all, the FUNCTION‌ that salt has in modern life. Listen to the words of Jesus: “You . . .