3. The Tragedy of Tasteless Salt and Hidden Light

TEXT: Matthew 5:13-16

Matthew 5:13-16 — Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Introduction

I. Tastless Salt, vs. 13

• salt with which food is seasoned and sacrifices are sprinkled — Matthew 5:13
• those kinds of saline matter used to fertilise arable land -- "Salt of the earth" —

In the biblical and ancient Near Eastern context, salt was far more than a kitchen condiment. An agricultural practice where salt was used to catalyze and preserve fertilizers. While we often think of salt as something that kills plants (like the "salting of the earth" in Judges 9:45), the ancient world used it strategically in small amounts to stimulate growth.

• Some people act like they think the Christian is the "sugar" of the earth.

Judges 9:45 — And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.

Because the salt used was an impure mixture, the actual sodium chloride (the "salty" part) could be leached out by rain or moisture. What remained was a tasteless, chemically inert mineral residue.

• wisdom and grace exhibited in speech — Colossians 4:6

Proverbs 28:23 — He that rebuketh a man afterwards shall find more favour than he that flattereth with the tongue.

• Obedience to God is itelf salt.

II. Hidden Light, vs.14-16

• Ye are the light of the world. - A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid - and put it under a bushel
• Made Light that we might give light!
• “No one installs lights under their carpet or floorboards."

16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

• No Longer Giving Light?
• If we live no different: Lifestyle, Words, Conduct?
• Has he brought us out of darkness? We have light for those still in there!

Conclusion

JAMES DOBSON -- Consider the experience of a friend of mine, who was a recreational pilot when he was younger. On one occasion, he flew his single-engine plane toward his home base at a small country airport.

Unfortunately, he waited too long to start back and arrived in the vicinity of the field as the sun dropped behind a mountain. By the time he manoeuvred his plane into position to land, he could not see the hazy runway below.

There were no lights to guide him and no one on duty at the airport. He circled the field for another attempt to land, but by then the darkness had become even more impenetrable. For 2 desperate hours, he flew his plane around and around in the blackness of the night, knowing that probably death awaited him when he ran out of fuel.

Then as greater panic gripped him, a miracle occurred. Someone on the ground heard the continuing drone of his engine and realized his predicament. That merciful man drove his car back and forth on the runway to show my friend the location of the airstrip. Then he let his lights cast their beam from the far end while the plane landed.

...James Dobson shared this about his friend in The New Strong-Willed Child, p. xi.