Good morning and welcome in everybody. Today we are going to take a look at a passage of Scripture, but before that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago, I was told a story about a group of kids who decided to go over to their neighbors and steal some food from his garden. Although they tried to keep quiet, his dog eventually began barking inside the kennel, and as soon as he realized what they were doing, he went into his bedroom, and quickly grabbed a double barrel shotgun that he had loaded with rock salt. He fired a warning shot into the air, yelling at them to get off his property, but one of the older boys resisted, and kept grabbing more. When he finally stood up and started running away, the land owner fired at him with the other barrel, hitting him in the leg. As he walked home, he could feel the burning sensation of rock salt buried deep beneath the skin.
This reminds me of the Christian Life.
Many times when you’re involved with the wrong behavior, a little salt can really hurt, especially when it’s the truth of Holy Word
“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.” Matthew 5:13
In order for us to be transformed into what God wants us to be, we must be salted with the truth of His Word. Each verse is like a grain of salt, seasoning our hearts and minds with biblical truth. But sometimes, the truth can hurt, just like salt in an open wound. But we need to learn from it, and understand that it is meant for our correction and discipline.
2 Timothy 3 ¹⁶ All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷ That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The teachings of Holy Scripture are given to us to straighten us out, and to put us on the right path. Sometimes children are very humble and submissive, possessing a meek and obedient heart, while others may need much more correction. I have always thought of the church as a Spiritual Correctional Facility, where men of God keep us focused on the straight and narrow. In the world, many people fight against discipline and authority, but when we become a Christian, we must completely submit ourselves to the correction of God. This is done out of love for the one who laid down His own life for our sins, Jesus Christ our Lord. Although it might not feel good at times, we must lovingly submit to God’s chastening, knowing that He is taking us to a better place, and helping us to become a better person.
Hebrews 12 ⁵ And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:
⁶ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. ⁷ If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? ⁸ But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. ⁹ Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? ¹⁰ For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. ¹¹ Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
The truth can hurt, as God’s Word plunges deep inside of our hearts to convict us of our sins.
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12
When someone begins to grow in the teachings of Christ, we are being seasoned with God’s truth. After all, we are supposed to be a living sacrifice unto the Lord. Just like a lamp needs oil to burn, a sacrifice needs salt, in order to become a pleasing sacrifice unto Him.
“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1
The sacrifices in the Old Testament were supposed to be offered with salt unto the Lord.
“And every oblation of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt; neither shalt thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from thy meat offering: with all thine offerings thou shalt offer salt.” Leviticus 2:13
For each of us to become a pleasing sacrifice to God, we need to be filled with the salt of scriptural truth. It is only by walking in the truth that we can eventually be saved. Like adding it to a meal at the supper table, it needs to be sprinkled on our hearts each and every day.
“For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.” Mark 9:49
When people don’t maintain God’s Word in their lives, they can begin to lose the flavor of a Christian, becoming no different than the sinful world that surrounds us.
Luke 14 ³⁴ Salt is good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned? ³⁵ It is neither fit for the land, nor yet for the dunghill; but men cast it out. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
James 1 ²² But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. ²³ For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: ²⁴ For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
²⁵ But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
We must be an example of God’s Truth to others.
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth…..Ephesians 6:14
“Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.” Ephesians 4:25
“Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.” Colossians 4:6
In order to do what’s right in the eyes of God, we must allow ourselves to be disciplined with the salt of God’s Word. When you are doing what is wrong, chastening is not going to feel very good. Occasionally, men of God needed to strongly rebuke sin in the church using the doctrine of scripture, but it was meant to induce contrition and a change of heart. If we truly desire to become transformed into God’s obedient children, then we must endure the sting of correction,… just like getting hit with a little bit of….
….Rock Salt
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you all, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody.
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