16

Jump Start # 1433

Posted on September 16, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1433

Romans 14:10 “But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.”

  I was out preaching last night, one of my favorite things to do. The topic was, “The Certainty of Judgment.” The Bible, from the Old Testament through the New Testament, tells us of the coming judgment. There’s no getting around that fact. Few things are certain. There is no certain return on your money. The election isn’t certain. In sports, no team is certain to win. Solomon expressed this when he wrote, “the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the warriors…for time and chance overtake them all.”

 

There are two possibly three things that are very certain. Jesus is coming. Until Jesus comes first, we will die. We will be judged by God. It’s that last certainty that scares us and we don’t like to think about it. We’d like to just bypass the judgment and go straight to Heaven. We want a divine “get of jail free card.”

 

There are enough Bible passages that gives us reason to be scared about the judgment. Every idle word spoken will be given an account to God. We will be judged according to the things we have done, whether good or bad. Unless our names are written in the book of life, we will not enter Heaven. That’s enough to make most of us be quiet. But then we add to this that we are judged by God’s word—that perfect standard. The judgment is not a test, written or oral. It’s an accounting of what we have done. Jesus said, “I  was hungry and you fed Me. I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink.” He didn’t say, “Name the apostles.” He didn’t say, “Tell me the books of the Bible in order.” It is what have you done. Your faith ought to have changed you on the inside and affected how you treat others on the outside.

 

Then we add to this that we will be judged by God. It’s one thing to be judged by our peers. If our family judged us it wouldn’t be so bad. Many of us have talked our way out of tickets and have gotten extended time when we missed deadlines. We have become pretty good at getting by with things. The judgment is not conducted by us, but by God. There is no one greater than God. This makes the judgment final. Who can you appeal to when God has declared you guilty? It all ends with God.

 

Then we add that we are all judged. Our passage says, “For we must all stand…” Other places state, “each one must give an account.” It’s one thing to be judged as a family or a church. It’s one thing to be judged as a nation. But it’s you by yourself. No family members. No friends. No one, but you.

 

There is enough in this judgment stuff to make us scared. The old preachers used to bang away on these type of lessons. “Hell, fire and brimstone” was the norm. We’ve moved away from that some and in doing so, we simply do not talk that much about the coming judgment. Paul did to Felix. The Bible does to us.

 

All of this leads to the point that what we are doing matters. “It’s my life and I can do what I want,” changes when you realize that you will be judged some day. God sees and God knows. The judgment isn’t a gathering of the facts, God already knows. It’s not a determination process, as in our court systems in which evidence is presented, a prosecutor points to the reason why a person is guilty and a defense attorney tries to prove innocence. We have too much “Law & Order” in us and that skews our thinking about God’s judgment. God already knows. You will not surprise Him at the judgment. He will not be shocked to find out some things. He knows.

 

This leads to one grand conclusion:

 

Without Jesus, we have no hope of Heaven. Without Jesus, we are not going to make it. Without Jesus, we will be lost. Without Jesus, our sin stained souls will be cast from the presence of God. Goodness simply isn’t good enough. We must bow our hearts, bend our ways, and obey Christ. He must be our Lord. We must believe Him, trust Him and do what He says. Stop fussing about what God says. Stop arguing with the Bible. Stop looking for loopholes. Stop playing games with God. This is serious stuff. Believe Him. Trust Him. Obey Him. That includes being baptized for the remission of your sins, because He said so. Forgiveness and grace are the only hope that we have. They are only found in Jesus. Without Jesus, without forgiveness, without grace, we are doomed.

 

Understand that the sweet grandma that lives down the street isn’t going to Heaven because she is nice. Either she is in Christ or she is not. Our culture doesn’t like such language. Understand the military man who dies defending our country, who is a hero, doesn’t go to Heaven because he died in service. Understand the police man who is killed saving others doesn’t go to Heaven because he died in duty. Understand the person who has had a miserable life doesn’t deserve Heaven. No one deserves Heaven. No one gets Heaven because of something heroic that they did. Heaven is for those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Heaven is for those who have walked with Christ. Heaven is for those who have made Jesus their Lord. They have shaped their lives around Jesus. They worshipped as God describes. They honor God in the way He wants to be honored. They have chosen to obey Him, follow Him and trust Him. Sinless they are not, but they are saved by the grace of God.

 

This is the only way that judgment doesn’t totally scare us. Our hope is not that we have done everything right, because we have not. Our hope is not in doing more good than bad. Good deeds do not erase the bad. Only the blood of Jesus removes sins. Our hope is not in us. Our hope is in Christ. We have not done enough. We have been lazy. We have not made the right choices. We have fumbled way too many times. Through Christ, in Christ, by Christ—we have confidence. Jesus is the answer.

 

This is why we must change our lives. This is why we must tell others. This is why we must continue to walk with the Lord. There is no hope in us, it’s Christ. It’s not the church that saves us, it’s Christ. Cling to the Lord. He is the only way that we can get through this.

 

In 1887, a man from Ohio, wrote a hymn. He wrote a song about the judgment day. The chorus of his song says, “There’s a great day coming, a great day coming.” He viewed the judgment as a Great Day. Most wouldn’t put the judgment in the great day category. Most would say that it’s the worst day of their lives. But for the Christian, for those who have walked with the Lord, that day will be great. It will be the day that we see the Lord. It will be the day that we bow before Him. It will be the day that we enter God’s home. It will be a great day.

 

We need to be reminded of this. The forgiveness offered by God changes everything. Our faith in Christ changes everything.

 

You and I will stand before God someday. That’s for certain!

 

God wants you with Him in Heaven. He’s trying to get you there. You have to make the steps. Won’t you open His book and open your heart?

(Share this with someone you love)

Roger

 

15

Jump Start # 1432

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1432

Jonah 1:3 “But Jonah rose up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship which was going to Tarhish, paid the fare and went down into it to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord.”

  Most of us know the story of Jonah, the run-a-way prophet who was swallowed by a large fish, spit out on dry ground and eventually did what God wanted him to do. Many of us grew up hearing these lessons in VBS and Bible classes. A couple of thoughts before our verse. First, this is more than just a STORY, it really happened. Jesus referred to this as a historically real account. Many would like to discount this. Many believe there is no way that this could happen. They are right, if you are looking for a natural story in a natural setting. It couldn’t.  God was involved throughout this. It was God who caused the storm. It was God who prepared the fish. It was God who caused Jonah to be swallowed and kept alive. It was God who made the fish spit Jonah out on dry land. God, God, God. Second, this is in our Bible, not for children, but for adults. God didn’t write a “children’s section” of the Bible. These are not the teen devos section. All the Bible is written to develop, build and sustain faith in the Lord. This section does just that.

 

Our verse today is amazing. God told Jonah, in the previous verse, to go to Nineveh and preach. Nineveh was the capital city of the Assyrians. They were mean and pagan. In time, it would be the Assyrians that would march on Israel and capture them. But here, God is opening a door to a foreign country for repentance. Jonah was commissioned and sent. Jonah ran the other way.

 

In our verse Jonah decides to go to Tarshish, about as far in the opposite direction as he could go. We are not told the reasons why Tarshish, but a good guess would make us think that it would be too far for God to send him. He would have to find another prophet. Jonah wasn’t going, and that was that.

 

How interesting that Jonah, deciding that the spot he’ll run to would be Tarshish, just happens to find a ship going there. His plans would have been crushed had there been no ships heading that way or had he literally “missed the boat.” Not only did he find a ship going where he wanted, he was able to pay the fare. We are not told how much it cost to get to Tarshish, but ole’ Jonah must have had just the right amount. Again, imagine Jonah finding the right ship, but the fare being way to expensive for him. God’s fingers could have done all of that. No ship. Missed the ship. Too expensive to get a ticket. But God allowed Jonah’s little plan to come together. Our verse ends with Jonah going down inside the boat, confident that he had out maneuvered God and won the battle of the wills. He dug his heels in and refused to go and it looks like he won.

 

Rather than moving on through Jonah, we need to stop and see some lessons here.

 

First, a person tends to find what they are looking for. If a person is looking for a ship going away from God, one will be provided. Satan will do that. He’s always ready and eager to take someone away from the Lord. People see what they are looking for. Some, always seem to be in trouble. Why is it that way? They found what they were looking for. Others tend to lean to the negative side of life. They see what’s wrong. They can walk into a building, even a church building, and these folks spot the cobwebs in the corners, a piece of paper left on the floor and they will see things from the negative side. Others would never see what they see. Why is it that way? They found what they were looking for. When a person is compelled to go do something that they don’t want to do, they will find the negative. They will have reason to complain. The wait was long. The price, expensive. Too much of that and too little of that. They found what they were looking for.

 

Now, imagine that concept driven in the right direction. Imagine a person finding God in the house of worship. Imagine the joy and warmth of fellowship that he found in the house of God. The smiles would fill his face. The happiness would warm his soul. Cobwebs aren’t even worth mentioning when you are talking about praising God. You tend to find what you are looking for.

 

Second, Satan always provides. He’s good at that. If you are set on doing wrong, Satan will provide not only the opportunity for you to do wrong, but also a crowd to join you. A person doesn’t have to do wrong by themselves. There is a fellowship of wrong doers. Satan arranges that. Get a young person who wants to go out at night and do some meanness, a couple of phone calls later and he has several who will join him. Satan provides. A man who is thinking about stealing, an opportunity will come up. A man who is thinking about leaving his marriage, there will be an occasion to do that. Jonah wanted to run. He did. He was given the chance. The boat was there and the fare was affordable. All just right for one who wanted to do wrong. Satan provides.

 

Third, you can never leave the presence of God. Jonah, hiding in the belly of that boat, lying on his bunk, must have thought, “Now, I’m ok.” He wasn’t. God knew where he was. God had Jonah in sight the entire time. The same goes for us. The man who walks away from church and declares that I’m done with religion and this Bible stuff, hasn’t left the presence of God. The Lord still sees him. The Lord still has him on His radar. We may run from our obligations and responsibilities, but we can never escape the presence of the Lord. A person can deny the Lord, He is still there. A person can rebel against God, He is still there. A person can run, the Lord is still there.

 

Fourth, you and I have things that God wants us to do. Like Jonah, we may not feel like doing them. Some things are easy and nice, such as loving our family and raising them right. Others are difficult and we may not want to do them. Those things would include worshipping God regularly, being the light of the world, telling others about Jesus. It is some of those things that may make some of us to head to the harbor and start looking for a boat. We can’t “cafeteria” God. We cannot pick out the nice things He wants us to do and ignore the difficult ones. I’m sure Jonah would have made a fine prophet in Israel. God wanted him to go to Nineveh. It’s easier for us to blend in with the world than to stand out. It’s easier for us to be silent than it is to speak out. It is easier for us to hide in the church than it is to be a soldier of Christ in a world that doesn’t care. Run like Jonah. Hide like Jonah. Or, simply do what God wants us to do.

 

There is a path to Nineveh or there is a boat waiting down at the dock. Which one are you going to be taking today? Easy isn’t always right. Convenient isn’t always the best. Trust and obey or run the other way…

 

Roger

 

 

14

Jump Start # 1431

Posted on September 14, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1431

Proverbs 6:27 “Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?”

  There has been much news recently about the Ashley Madison website and the revelation of names that were on it. When this news first broke, I was busy and then out of the country. Someone asked me what my thoughts were about “Ashley Madison.” I thought she was an actress or a singer. My comment was, “Did she die?” My family has been ready to put me in my special room for a long time. I keep giving them more and more reasons to do that all the time.

 

I found out, and for those like me who didn’t know, Ashley Madison is a website designed for married couples who what to cheat. Their catch phrase is, “Life is short, have an affair.” Hackers broke into the website and revealed the names of married people who had signed up. Married people who had the intention of committing adultery. It was revealed that 36 million people had signed up. Every zip code in the U.S. but three. Among the list were some high profile people, including several preachers. The shame of discovery has led to multiple suicides across the country. It was estimated that four hundred preachers would be resigning because of this.

 

It is shocking that there are venues that encourage and profit from sin, especially this sin. There are several observations that we can learn from this.

 

Sin has a way of becoming known. The O.T. says that plainly. Our verse today, is another reminder. The sin of adultery has consequences. King David found that out. God knows all along. There is nothing secretive to the Lord. The Proverb writer parallels adultery to putting fire inside your shirt. That’s foolish, dangerous and a person will get burned. That’s the point. Adultery is playing with fire. It’s foolish, dangerous and a person will get burned. Many are finding that out now.

 

Something is not right at home when folks are signing up to have an affair. The relations in a marriage are good, holy and right. Maybe folks grew tired of each other. Maybe some are looking for some excitement. Maybe there is just not open communication and understanding with each other. Kids, bills, work, stress, can really put the passion on the back burner. Couples need to make time for one another. They need to send the kids to the grandparents for a weekend. They need to pitch the cell phones, the tablets, the TV and talk. They need to laugh again. They need to hold hands. They need to remember what is special about each other. It’s too easy to just junk the current model for a newer one. Once the line of adultery has been crossed, things get real fuzzy. The next thing is talk about leaving the current mates. His kids, her kids, his life, her life, and things get really confusing. Divorce. Child support. Sin. And Satan smiles. He is always smiling when we make the wrong choices.

 

Ashley Madison wasn’t the only avenue for an affair. It happens between church members. It happens often between co-workers. And things just don’t go immediately to adultery. There are some steps that lead to that. A little flirting. Spending a lot of time alone. A lot of chit-chatting about things that shouldn’t be shared. Hearts grow fonder. “I can really talk to you,” is expressed. “You are so much nicer than my mate.” And without knowing it, hearts are getting entwined and emotions are exploding. Just a bit more of this, and the door opens to the bedroom. So innocent. “It just happened.” No, it didn’t. It didn’t just happen. Don’t be so naïve. Don’t excuse it so innocently. You were blind to the steps that led to the cliff that you are now about to fall off of.

 

First, you turned your spiritual radar off. You ignored the telltale signs of what was going on around you. You let your guard down. You didn’t stay with your “A” game. You allowed yourself to become vulnerable and tempted.

 

You don’t have the right to flirt with anyone who is not your mate. Someone throws a flirt at you, throw cold water on it. Shut it down. Don’t give it a chance. The sweet talk, the flirting, the little touches, the smiles, the body language—that belongs to your mate and no one else. It doesn’t matter how others perceive you. Your affections and your heart belongs to your mate and only your mate. You made a promise. Keep it.

 

Be sharp. Be careful. Don’t put yourself in places where you might mess up. Don’t be alone with someone of the opposite sex unless it’s your mother. Don’t be talking about intimate things to others, including your mother. Be careful of Facebook. Some people from the past ought to stay in the past. Connecting again with old boyfriends or old girlfriends can be dangerous. Be smart. The Devil will throw you curve balls to mess you up.

 

Second, stay strong spiritually. Stay in the word. Be prayerful. Be alert. The lion doesn’t attack the strong, but the weak. The lion doesn’t leap on the herd, he catches the one who is alone. Surround yourself with spiritual giants. Grow that faith. Commit yourself to the Lord.

 

Third, have a wonderful relationship with your mate. When the church at Ephesus lost their first love, the Lord, they were told to do the things that they did at first. That works for couples as well. Remember dating? It’s been a long time for some of us. Writing notes. Doing those little things to make the other happy. What happened? Time. Kids. Work. Life. We started taking one another for granted. Get the candles out. Fire up the romance. Pour yourself into your mate. Make them glad that they married you. Spend time together. If the energy was put into the marriage rather than looking for an affair, many marriages could be saved, and be what God wants. Especially among God’s people, our marriages are illustrations of Christ and the church and of Heaven. When our marriages stink we are not doing something right. If given the opportunity to have steak at home or go out for a hamburger, I’m choosing the steak at home. Instead of waiting for your mate to make the first move, you do. Get back to dating each other again.

 

Fourth, work as a team. Remember, you are one. The one is much more than physical, it’s everything. One in goals. One in hope. One in raising the kids. So work together rather than against each other. Help each other. Pray for each other. Help each other to be pure. Help each other to be spiritual. When one is sagging and getting weak spiritually, the other needs to be there and step it up for them.

 

You have heard of the principle of the triangle—man and woman are at the bottom or base and God is at the top. That’s the concept of a marriage—it takes three, man, woman and God. The principle of the triangle also teaches us that as each side gets closer to the top, God, the sides get closer to each other. As the sides get further from the top, the sides get farther apart from each other. So, getting closer to the Lord is one of the best things you can do for your marriage. As you get stronger, it pulls you together. I guarantee you that those who signed up for an affair, were not very close to God at the top. Those two don’t go together. When God is not first, Satan will be.

 

Now, one final point. What if one has already crossed the line. The first and fastest thing most turn to is divorce. Be careful with that. Divorce doesn’t solve all the problems. Often the baggage that led to the divorce is simply carried to the next relationship. With kids, divorce is never final. There is always occasions when the “ex” will be around. Graduations, weddings, grandchildren. It’s complicated and messy. May I add, for too long, the prevailing thought has been when one is unfaithful to either “forgive or divorce.” That is not the right answer. One ought to forgive no matter what. The options are to try to make things right and better or divorce. Some don’t want to change. Some will continue to choose adultery. Those shouldn’t be married at all. But others made a big, big mistake. They were weak, vulnerable, blind and not paying attention. They are truly sorry. They would change things if possible. Their heart is penitent. Give them another chance. Trust is hard to establish once it has been broken. The road is long and hard but it’s the best. I’ve known many couples who have made the decision to stay after trust was broken. It can be done.

 

Ashley Madison—what a stupid idea. Shame on those who are behind that. They lack God in their lives and they are responsible for making sin so easy. They are agents of Hell, doing the work of Satan. Plain and simple—call it what it is.

 

May we learn. May we be there to help others. May we be an example for all.

 

Roger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

Jump Start # 1430

Posted on September 11, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1430

James 1:26 “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.”

  This week we have been looking at what God considers worthless. Our verse today shows the failure of a person’s faith and the deception that has taken him down a dead-end road. The person, our verse describes, considers himself religious. That’s ahead of many people right there. There are some who know that they are not religious. They never darken a church building, never open a Bible and give no thought to the here-after. Their world is now. Their playing field is secular. They admit that they are not religious.

 

The man in our verse is not like that. He thinks that he is religious. He may have all the signs that point to that fact. He attends a church on Sunday. He carries a Bible. He knows the words that religious people uses. He understands some concepts. In his mind and in his heart, he is doing pretty good. He feels pretty sure that he’ll go to Heaven when he dies. Our passage tells us that he has fooled himself and that his religion is worthless. It has done him absolutely no good. Sitting in the church house has not changed him. Carrying a Bible hasn’t helped him. He has not only fooled those around him, he has fooled himself. Only God has not been fooled.

 

The tell-tell sign of this deception and worthless religion is this man’s tongue. He has not bridled his tongue. We understand bridles. They are put in the mouth of a horse and the rider can control the animal. A pull one way and the horse turns. Pulling back and the horse stops. Without a bridle, the rider is literally on a ride at the will of the horse. The rider must hang on for dear life, not knowing what the animal will do. A tongue that is bridled means that is under control. It’s not running wild. It can be stopped. It can be turned. The rider of the tongue is our heart. Without that bridle, the tongue is free to say anything. It is governed by emotion and circumstance. A tense moment, and the unbridled tongue with explode with angry and mean words. An unbridled tongue is likely to chew someone out. It doesn’t think before it speaks. Like a Kansas twister, the path of damage is wide and devastating. This man’s family will know about it first hand. The kids have been tongue lashed many times and walk on egg shells, never knowing when dad might blow up. This man’s wife has been verbally abused all their marriage. He claims he loves her, but he has said far too many cruel and insensitive things to her through the years. At work, this guy can be an embarrassment. His stories may be laced with prejudice and things that are just not proper to say. In a Bible class, he might spout out things that are hurtful to others, even naming names publically.

 

His tongue is running wild. His tongue will be his downfall. It will get him in trouble. His apologies will no longer be accepted. His out of control mouth ruins any good that he tries to do.

 

This is the surface issue. Under the layers, the real problem is his heart. The text tells us that his religion is worthless. He has certainly heard sermons and read passages about the tongue—it’s all over the Bible. He doesn’t get it. He doesn’t notice the compassionate Christ. He doesn’t understand decorum and tact. His religion ought to smooth the roughness in him. It ought to put controls and limits on his heart and tongue. It ought to make him considerate of others. Forget the light of the world and the salt of the earth stuff. He doesn’t see that, nor get that. His religion has not changed him. He remains rough, raw and indifferent.

 

His faith is defined by Heaven as worthless. He maintains a worthless religion. If someone were to say, “I have a worthless college degree,” that would tell us that they pursued a study that there is no job market for. They spent tons of money and years of their life and now that piece of paper has done nothing for them. This man’s religion is like that. It has not helped him. It has not brought him closer to the Lord. It has not made him a better person. He has been living in a delusional world. The worst thing about this is that a worthless religion will not save a person. This man lives his life, thinking he is going to Heaven, when he is not. Heaven will not be occupied with worthless faith.

 

Our passage brings to us the practical nature of our faith and religion. It’s not just about praising God. Our faith, our religion ought to change us. It ought to make us more like God. It should have an affect upon us. This is one of the major mistakes of mega church mentality today. Churches are filled on Sunday mornings with people who show up to watch an amazing musical concert who give no thought to how they are living with the Lord. Friday nights are spent partying with friends. Tongues are unbridled. Morals are loose. Attitudes selfish. But come Sunday, they are in the arena churches laughing, having a great time and being deceived. The religion is worthless. It’s doing no one, including God any good. It’s all a sham. It’s superficial, shallow and will not help them. The lack of substance and the absence of genuine faith will not turn around a sorry marriage. It will not help them raise their children as God wants. It will not keep them out of the ditches of life. In the end, it will not save their souls. They have been fooled.

 

The man in our passage needs to get serious about what is going on. He needs to build a real faith based upon Christ. He needs to imitate Christ. That will help him get the bridle around his mouth. It will help him become thoughtful and kind. It will help him do what God wants.

 

So serious is this that James continually comes back to this thought. The first chapter talked about being a doer of the word. In the second chapter, much thought is given to faith and works. This is not Theology 101, but rather, showing how religion is to be worthwhile in one’s life. The third chapter is devoted to the tongue. The fourth chapter mentions the danger of speaking against one another.

 

At the control of the bridle ought to be the Lord. The Lord ought to be THE LORD of our heart. It is He who leads us, guides us and fashions our decisions. In this way, our religion surrounds Him and it is He who shapes our lives. A worthwhile religion is one that honors God and makes us a better person.

 

Worthless or worthwhile…who is at the helm of your heart? Who is holding the reigns of your tongue? Who is in control?

 

Roger

 

10

Jump Start # 1429

Posted on September 10, 2015 by Jump Starts Daily in Jump Starts Daily | Tagged | Leave a comment

Jump Start # 1429

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 under foot by men.”

  This week we are exploring things that God considers to be worthless. The opposite of worthless is worthy or something of value. Value is an interesting concept. We go places and see the prices and sometimes we think “that’s a good deal.” Other times, we think, or at least I do,  “they must be on drugs to think someone would pay those prices.” I’ve seen sports cars that cost more than $300,000. That price would buy a fine home. Value, how is it determined?

 

  • Value is determined by how much something cost to make. The materials involved are reflected in the cost.
  • Value is determined by demand. People will pay $100 for a concert ticket, because they really want to go to that show.
  • Value is determined by how rare something is. When there are only a few around, the price will go up.
  • Value is determined by what it means to you. Most moms have some artwork done by their kids where they were toddlers. Those stick figure pictures wouldn’t bring much on Ebay. They wouldn’t find a showing in an art gallery. To those moms, those pictures are priceless. They wouldn’t take anything for them.  Value.

 

When we think about our salvation we understand how valuable it is. It costs Jesus His blood. Jesus was the only begotten of the Father. It is only through Jesus that we can be saved. And in those terms, our salvation is priceless.

 

Worthless things. Our first lesson was about worthless people. Last time, we saw that idols are worthless. Our verse today is about our influence. Jesus uses the analogy of salt to his disciples. In a world without refrigeration, salt was something that preserved meat. In many times, salt was more valuable than gold. Here in this country, the early pioneers found salt-licks and towns were built near them. Salt was important.

 

Jesus tells us in his sermon that we are the salt of the earth. We are the quality that preserves the world. Without Christians, without God’s impact through our lives, the world would be much darker and bleak. In our culture, salt adds flavor. Corn on the cob just has to have some butter and salt or it’s hardly worth eating. When cooking, you don’t see salt, but you can sure tell when it’s missing. Much like us, we may not be all that visible, but without our moral goodness and love of the Lord, it sure can be noticed in the world.

 

Jesus puts forth a question and then answers it. If the salt has become tasteless, how will it be made salty again? Does a person “salt” salt? That doesn’t work. If it has lost the very qualities that make it salt, then what purpose or value does it have? Jesus said, “It is good for nothing.” In other words, it is worthless. It is only good to be thrown on a path where people will trample upon it. You can’t throw it in the garden, it will ruin the soil. You can’t throw it in the water, it will ruin the water. Unsalty salt doesn’t have any purpose. It is worthless.

 

The thought points to you and I. What good are we to God when we are no longer the salt of the earth. If we are not preserving the world, then we become rotten and diseased like the rest of the world. In other passages, Jesus would say, “If you are not with me, you are against me.” There is no non-committal, middle ground, undecided position for the disciple to fall into. He is the salt of the earth. Jesus didn’t allow us to “Become salt some day,” implying right now we are not salt. He did not say, “the most mature among us are the salt.” His words were, “You are the salt of the earth.” We are. We must be.

 

Two illustrations about influence, both using the expression, you are. You are light, you are salt. One attracts, the other saves. Both are necessary. Both are to be in each of us. Jesus didn’t say, some be light and the rest be salt. I need a light team and I need a salt team. He said, “You are.” You are light, you are salt.

 

I’m not real sure how salt becomes “unsalty.” I expect there is some chemical breakdown. Maybe being left out to the elements of weather or time will do this. I do know, all too well, how a Christian loses his influence. We blend in instead of standing out. We go along instead of making a difference. We conform rather than transform. We laugh at things we shouldn’t. We watch things we shouldn’t. We do things that we shouldn’t. Like the chameleon, our colors change with who we are with. We can sing with the best of them in church. But at work, we can laugh with the worst of them. Changing colors, changing out tune—this is the easiest way for salt to become unsalty. The pressure is on when with friends and even with family. We let our guard down. We don’t want to seem too holy so we come across as not holy at all. Things seem to go pretty well until someone has the nerve to say, “Don’t you go to church?” Our behavior shocks them. Even they notice. Even they expected something better out of us. The blending in catches up with us. Now what good are we? Too much Christ in us to go along with the world completely, and too much world in us to go along with Christ, as we ought to. The unsalty Christian is the most miserable person in the world. He has too much guilt and too much temptation racing through his heart. He can’t make up his mind which way will win, Christ or the world. So, often times, he doesn’t decide. He just goes along with the crowd. He’s not happy and he’s definitely not scoring any points in the way of leading some to Christ. His hypocrisy is seen.

 

And in the words of Jesus, he is good for nothing. He doesn’t fit in anywhere. He is a man without a country. A soul that doesn’t have a safe harbor. I’ve known many like this through the years. They can talk a great game when with Christians, but at the ballgame, they can drink and cuss and seem so void of God. Typically, their lives are a mess. Their families are lost. There is no consistent message. No solid ground to stand upon. They might be at church Sunday, or they might be at the lake fishing. No one knows. Even they don’t know. They get real upset when their kids mess up and make poor choices, never realizing that the lack of godliness in the home and the failure of a godly example was part of the cause. Unsalty disciples can pray great prayers at church and be so selfish and mean at home. They can lie, cheat and steal to cut a deal at work, never once thinking that what they do outside the church building is just as important as what they do inside the church building.

 

True salt can’t be made salty again. However, the unsalty disciple can. He can get his act together. He can get focused upon the Lord. He can make a difference for the Lord at home and at work. It is possible. It takes effort and it takes a plan. Doing nothing, as generally happens, leads to his kids growing up and having nothing to do with Christ. It leads to an emptiness that he doesn’t understand in his heart. It leads to wondering and even fearing what happens at his death. It’s a terrible way to live and a terrible way to die.

 

Unsalty…it’s not good for anything.

 

Roger