Why We Are Where We Are Part 23

The Wake-up Herald

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. Romans 13:11-14

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   Robert McCurry, Editor & Publisher 
May 11, 2012 
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Why We Are Where We Are
Part 23

A timeless warning from Jesus

The Lord Jesus gives His powerful Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. In chapter 5:3-12 He presents the Beatitudes that describe the characteristics of His people; they are no longer ‘dead in trespasses and sin’, they now have an ‘abundant life’ in Christ. There are seven ‘Blessed’s’ characteristics given that are not only personal ‘blessings’ to the Christian, but also ‘blessings’ to people at large, including non-Christians, because Christians are to be ‘the salt of the earth’ (vs. 13-16).

It is noteworthy that Jesus did not say, ‘You are the sugar’ of the earth’ or ‘You are the honey of the earth.’ He chose rather to say,

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour [saltiness], wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matt 5:13).

  • Salt is valuable. Salt is a necessity of life and was a mineral that was used since ancient times in many cultures as a seasoning, a preservative, a disinfectant, a component of ceremonial offerings, and as a unit of exchange. The Bible contains numerous references to salt. In various contexts, it is used metaphorically to signify permanence, loyalty, durability, fidelity, usefulness, value, and purification. Newborn babies were rubbed with salt to promote good health.

 

  • Salt does not deteriorate; it has no shelf life; its permanence is timeless. 

 

  • Salt is a symbol of the righteousness of Jesus reflected in His people.

 

  • Salt creates thirst.

 

  • Salt preserves. Christians are God's chosen agents to serve as preservatives; to restrain the moral decay in our sin infected world.

 

  • Salt can lose its savor [saltiness]. Salt loses its saltiness by contamination of foreign substances that dilute its primary sodium chloride components; it loses its flavor by being diluted or contaminated with impurities. Contamination causes salt to lose its value and function as salt. When Christians are contaminated by the world and its worldliness, they lose their value and effective witness. 1 John 2 15 ”Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

How much salt is enough?

God promised Abraham that he would not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if he could find just ten righteous people among the populous whose sins, in addition to sodomy, consisted of

Ezekiel 16 49 ”Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. 50 And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.”

The Lord Jesus also spoke about the days of Sodom: “As it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all” (Luke 17:28, 29).

The sins, wickedness and abominations of Sodom notwithstanding, it was not these things, as serious as they were, that caused her destruction; it was rather the absence of the salt of just ten righteous people that caused her destruction (Gen 18:32).

The similarities between Sodom and America are unmistakably clear:

  • Pride; arrogance; haughty.
  • Fullness of bread; surplus of things that make life easy and comfortable.
  • Abundance of idleness; leisure; amusements; entertainment; sports; recreation.
  • Ignoring the poor and needy; ignoring and neglecting the helpless; abortion.
  • The abomination of sodomy. “Now the men of Sodom were wicked exceedingly and sinners against the LORD” (Gen 13:13).
  • The lack of righteousness.

Jesus’ warning to His people is timeless:

“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour [saltiness], wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matt 5:13).

Wake-up, Pastors! Wake-up, Christians!

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The Wake-Up Herald is published by Robert McCurry. The publication is designed to exalt the true God of the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ, and inform, inspire, and challenge its readers regarding biblical truth and real-life issues. The contents are the sole responsibility of Robert McCurry and do not represent or speak for or on behalf of any other person or group. There is no subscription charge. The publication is a ministry of faith dependent on the contributions of its readers. Contributions are not tax-deductible. Send all correspondence to: Robert McCurry,605 Moore Rd, Newnan, GA 30263 or herbap@aol.com Remove? Send reply with “remove” in Subject line