Preached by Chris Broom, 8/23/2009

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Juan Luis Pedroza (second from left) Gets Baptized!

In Mark 9:50 Jesus said, “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Have you ever had food without any salt in it? It doesn’t really taste like much. So we can probably all agree that salt is good! But Jesus probably wasn’t thinking about potato chips when he said this. So what does it mean spiritually to have salt in yourselves?!

Main Points:
1. Salt is Good
2. Pepper is Good, Too

Luke 14:25-27, 33-34
(v.25-27) Jesus didn’t fish for men by begging them to be his disciples. He used parables and strong language to get peoples attention – that’s the pepper. Not everyone in the crowd truly wanted to learn, but to those that did, he explained everything
(v.33-34) Jesus said that anyone who wanted to follow him must give up everything he has. More pepper! This is a deal-breaker for most people b/c they are unwilling to give up everything. But this is Jesus’ standard – he didn’t sugar coat it.
(v.34-35) Salt is referring to discipleship – a complete allegence to Jesus Christ as Lord. The soil is The Kingdom and the manure pile is the world. If we stop being a disciple (lose our distinctiveness) we’re no longer of any use.

Matthew 5:13
Who is he talking to here, who is the salt of the earth? Disciples (see verse 1). Salt is used for 2 things, a flavoring and a preservative. Think about that, it is not pop stars and famous actors that give the world flavor – it is disciples. But we’re not just here to be fun and be loving – our job is to preserve the world by saving the lost.

Also, think about this: If you went to the cupboard, got out the salt and tasted it and it didn’t taste like anything what would you do? It would no longer be good for anything. You wouldn’t keep it because it used to be salt, nor would you expect it to somehow become salty again. You would throw it out. In the same way, if disciples lose their disciple-ness, they are no longer good for anything, but are thrown out.

When Jesus says they will be trampled by men it is not a threat, but a heartbreaking fact. Once you have known God’s love and protection and the truth you should live by… going back to the world means a heart full of guilt and no comfort for the world will not treat you kindly.

Have you lost your saltiness? One way to tell is to ask yourself if you are seeking first The Kingdom. When we stop building Jesus’ kingdom and start building our own, we’ve lost our saltiness. If you start missing meetings, thinking it is “just service” you’re already pretty far gone.

Matthew 10:34-36 Sometimes we can get the idea that God just wants us to be at peace with everyone, but that’s not true. Pepper is good, too! When people are united with Christ there is peace between them. But if one is united with Christ and other family members are not, there can not be true peace.

John 15:18-19 Does the world hate you, or are you at peace with it? We are not meant to be nice for nice sake. When we hold to Jesus’ standard, it will make those around us uncomfortable. If we live like Jesus, we will be loved or hated by people based on how they feel about God. True peace only comes with a common allegance to Jesus.

Mark 9:42 You are either calling others to righteousness or you are causing them to sin. You can either be an example or an excuse.

Mark 9:49 Everyone will be salted with fire. What does that mean? Suffering purifies us, comfort causes us to sin. What is your perspective?

Categories: Mark Series, Sermons
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