27th Mar 26 | 16:08
Studies by Book
Luke 14 34-35 Being the Salt 06 Distinctiveness of salt
📖 Luke 14:34-35
18Jan2020 - *Distinctiveness of salt*_ - _Luke 14:34-35_ - Bible reading: _Matthew 20:25-28_
_Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men._
We have been studying the passage in Luke 14:34-35, on being salt but we must consider Matthew 5:13 because, Jesus is calling us to be the salt of the earth. To be salt of the earth, there are four applications that we must consider. They are as follows.
1. We are fundamentally different
2. We must penetrate the non-Christian world
3. We must influence and transform the non-Christian world towards the kingdom of God
4. We must retain our distinctiveness
We have been considering the first application of salt, which is, we are fundamentally different.
Yesterday, we said that one of the differences that we need to demonstrate in our world is that we will not pursue the material needs of life. That pursuit is the way the world functions but we pursue the kingdom of God and His righteousness. In doing so, our material needs are met because our heavenly Father knows and provides.
Yet another distinction that must be seen in us is the way we relate with people. _Matthew 20:25-28 But Jesus called them to Himself and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. (26) Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. (27) And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— (28) just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."_
In the world, people want to lord it over others and always want to exercise authority over others. This cannot be the way we function. We will serve others. Serving others would require us to think of the needs of others and see how we can build others for their good.
We will also be a slave. What does it mean to be a slave? A slave does not have any right or privileges. The slave, is the person, who is the lowest on the social ladder. We see ourselves, bereft of any of our titles and positions. Our position is slave. This does not mean that we do not have positions that are given to us in society. The positions that are given to us is only a matter of stewardship and not our identity. Our positions and titles enable us to serve the people but we see our position as ‘slave’.
We need not fear that if we take on the position of the slave, people will walk all over us. Our position and our identity come from Jesus. In Him we are complete but, in the world, we serve others and our position is, ‘slave’. This difference has to been shown by us to be the salt of the earth.
The other fundamental difference that must be lived out in us is that we hold the sexual experience as a special and beautiful gift that God gave exclusively for the husband and his wife. The world does not want any moral boundaries but wants to freely experience any form sexual behavior. _I Thessalonians 4:3-5 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; (4) that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, (5) not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;_
*Thought to ponder*
```Are you living out the fundamental difference of salt?```