Living the Right-Way in a Left-Way World

Getting Out of the Saltshaker

Matthew 5:13, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? It is good for nothing anymore, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Jesus says we are to be “salt.” The properties of salt include; it creates thirst, ( Matt. 5:6 ), “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” Thus Christians should create a thirst for God within the lives of others. Salt also enhances flavor, ( II Cor. 2:14 ), “…and manifest through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” So we too should improve the situation wherever we are. Finally, salt preserves, ( Heb. 10:39 ), “We are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but those who have faith to the preserving of the soul.” So we should also seek to preserve the lives of those who are around us. Which of these three did Jesus mean when He called us “salt” ? Pick one – or all three! But the only way salt will do any of these things is it we get it out of the saltshaker. But how are we to do that?

•  What “Getting Out of the Saltshaker” Requires:

A. Following Jesus ! (Many say, ‘I follow Jesus,' when what they mean is, ‘I believe in Him.' It's not the same thing!)

1. “Following Jesus” = Making 100% of our decisions on the basis of what Jesus wants, ( Thus,
Jesus is the total focus of our life )!
a. A Christ-focused individual will see their life through the eyes of our Lord.
1) We will see our life, the lives of others, our marriage, job/school, etc., from
His perspective!
a) ( Gal. 2:20 ), “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I
who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life that I now live in the
flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered
Himself up for me.”
b) The reason why “salt becomes tasteless” is the church is “believing”
but not “following.”
2) Therefore, those who follow Jesus become God's means of inserting His will
into the world.

2. There are obstacles we will need to deal with if we are to follow Jesus…
a. Obstacle #1: Our pride will keep us from following Jesus!
1) ( Mk. 8:34 ), “If anyone wishes to come after Me [i.e. Follow Me] , let Him
deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.”


2) Following Jesus and making Him the focus requires two things from us…
a) “Denying ourselves”: Putting our wants aside and living in obedience
to Jesus ! ( Matthew 5:3 ), “Blessed are the poor in spirit [i.e., they
have denied/laid aside their pride, ego, arrogance, etc.,), theirs is the
kingdom of heaven.
b) “Take up our cross”: Many don't mind following Jesus, just so long
as it's easy and painless! But there is no such thing as “painless
crosses”! They are rough and heavy. Being a “follower” is not easy
but it is right!

b. Obstacle #2: Those pesky excuses will keep us from following Jesus!
1) ( Lk. 9:59-60 ), “Jesus said to another, ‘Follow Me.' But he said, ‘Permit me
first to go bury my father.' But He said to him, ‘Allow the dead to bury their
own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim everywhere the kingdom of God.'
a) Case #1: Jesus tells us spiritual needs out-weigh physical needs.
b) If we are going to “follow Jesus” then the spiritual needs of others
must come first!
2) ( Lk. 9:62-62 ), “Another said, ‘I will follow you, Lord; but first permit me to
say good-bye to those who are at home.' But Jesus said to him, ‘No one after
putting his hand to the plow & looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.'”
a) Case #2: The future is more important than the past.
b) Constantly looking to the past renders us unfit to follow Jesus.
3) Following Jesus on His terms demands that we put the spiritual/present needs
of others and ourselves first!

c. Obstacle #3: Focusing on others and not on Jesus will keep us from following Him!
1) ( Jn. 21:18-22 ), “‘When you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk
wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your
hands, and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish.'
Jesus said this to Peter signifying what kind of death he would glorify God.
And when He had spoke this, He said to Peter, ‘Follow Me!' Peter, turning
around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. Peter seeing him
said to Jesus, ‘Lord, what about this man?' Jesus said, ‘If I want him to
remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow Me !'”
2) How many times have we used “someone else” as the reason why we aren't
doing something?
3) “They preacher isn't…,” or “The elders aren't…!”
4) Our obedience to Jesus is not dependent upon what other are/aren't doing!
5) Jesus demands obedience of His followers; not pride, or excuses.

B. Sharing Jesus with Others! ( It is not enough to follow Jesus – for salt to be effective it must
touch the lives of others! )

1. Excuses people offer for why they aren't sharing Jesus with others…
a. “I don't know enough!”
1) ( Jn. 4:29-30, 39 ), “So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city,
and said to the men, ‘Come, see a man who has told me all the things I have
done; this is not the Christ, is it?' They went out from the city, and were
coming to Him.' … And from that city, many of the Samaritans believe in Him
because of the word of the woman who said, ‘He told me all the things I have
done.'”
2) There were many Bible truths that this woman did NOT know. But what she
knew she shared!!!

b. “It will cause problems for me!” ( Matt. 5:9-10 ), “Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake
of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
1) “Peacemaker” does not refer to someone who reconciles people to each other.
2) When Jesus talks about a peacemaker in this passage He is talking about
someone who seeks to reconcile individuals to God! This is done through the
sharing of the gospel message.
3) Yet notice that immediately after calling us to be peacemakers Jesus speaks of
those who are “…persecuted for the sake of righteousness.”
4) Thus, Jesus responds to those who say, “Sharing Jesus with others will cause
problems for me,” with a very clear answer. “Yes, it most likely will. But
the rewards far exceed problems!

c. “This is not my talent or my job/gift/talent. Let God use someone else!” ( Ex. 4:13-
14 ), “Then Moses said, ‘O Lord, please send someone else to do it.' Then the Lord's
anger burned against Moses.”
1) If God was angry as Moses didn't want to speak the message of release from
physical bondage, how much angrier will He be with us for not telling others
about Jesus & release from sin?!
2) God has called for all of us to get out of the saltshaker! This therefore means
that all of us need to be sharing Jesus with others!

2. Reasons why God's people must share Jesus with others…
a. Reason #1: We have a command from God to do so.
1) ( Matt. 28:19 ), “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing
them in the name f the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

2) There has been a lot of confusion about this verse.
a) First, the command from God is not “Go therefore.” This word is a
present tense participle which may accurately be translated either as,
“As you are going…,” or “While you are going.”
b) The command from God is, “…make disciples.”
3) Therefore, obedience to God (i.e., following Jesus) demands that we as
believers are busy, “making disciples” which can only occur if we are
sharing the good news of Jesus with them!

b. Reason #2: It fulfills the Christian's purpose for living!
1) ( Jn. 15:8 ), “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and so
prove to be My disciples.”
2) The purpose of the Christian's life is the glorify God!
3) When we are bearing fruit for God we are accomplishing two things:
glorifying the Father and demonstrating through our lives that we are truly
disciples of our Lord!

c. Reason #3: It is the only thing that we can do to save others!
1) Talking to others puts us in partnership w/God. In their response they join
us in this partnership!
2) ( Rom. 10:13-14 ), “All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
But how shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? And how
shall they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how shall they
hear unless someone tells them?”
3) Jesus said it this way,
a) ( Mk 16:15-16 ), “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” This
is our (i.e., the follower of Jesus responsibility).
b) “He who has believed and has been baptized…” [This is the
responsibility of those who want to become followers of Jesus],
c) “… shall be saved [This is God's part of the equation].
d) “He who has disbelieved [they refuse to join this partnership] will be
condemned [this too is God's part – but notice that He bases His
condemnation of them on their decision!].”