Salt and Light, Part 2

In this part of the sermon: He introduces the possibility of salt losing its savor, explaining the ancient context of impure salt and applying it to the Christian's potential loss of capacity to purify…

Martin explains how ancient salt, mingled with impurities, could lose its saltiness over time, becoming useless and fit only to be trodden underfoot, illustrating the spiritual danger for Christians.

Jesus said from that point on, it is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men. Now, where we can go down and buy, buy a box of Morton salt and have it sit on our shelf for 10 years and be as good at the end of the 10 years as it was when we bought it. It's hard for us to understand this, but remember the Lord was talking in a day when they did not have the mechanical processes which we now have in order to bring salt in its pure form to our table. And the salt was mine from certain areas where it was mingled with dirt and clay and forms of earth.

7:27 - 8:03 Read in full sermon

Driving home: For salt functions as salt only when it's qualitatively different, from that which it seeks to preserve and flavor.

The story of Lot is used as an example of a righteous man who, through prolonged association with wickedness, lost his spiritual effectiveness and became reluctant to leave the corrupt city.

There's a very clear illustration of this in the Old Testament. We don't have time to look into it in detail, but most of you are familiar with the life of Lot. In 2 Peter chapter 2, Lot is called Righteous Lot. He was a saved man.

10:07 - 10:22 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Jesus says in Matthew 5 that they may glorify your love. Father. See the difference? It's the difference of motive.

Martin recounts carrying large Bibles in high school and being confronted by an assistant principal who misquoted Scripture to suggest religion should be private, illustrating the difference between seeking self-glory and glorifying God.

It's the difference of motive. I can remember in high school after God saved me and a few other fellows and girls, we began to carry our Bibles. We had big Thompson chain reference Bibles. We wanted to make sure if anyone was short-sighted they wouldn't miss them.

28:43 - 28:56 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: He clarifies the apparent contradiction between letting light shine and not doing works to be seen of men, explaining that the difference lies in motive: seeking God's glory…

The Pharisees' public displays of giving and prayer are used as an example of religious acts performed with the motive of receiving glory from men, contrasting with the Christian's motive to glorify God.

They're going to think you're crazy. But in our Lord's day, the position of a Pharisee was such that he was admired as a great religious leader. And Jesus said, these Pharisees, they go about and they make sure that everyone's watching them and then they take out their roll of bills and they place it very meticulously and carefully with all the action of an actor and drop it in the plate. Then they walk away piously as though they're doing it as unto God.

30:17 - 30:41 Read in full sermon

The point: Never be embarrassed to bow your head to pray at a lunch counter, in a restaurant, or at a stand.

An anecdote about a preacher who knelt and prayed loudly in a restaurant to challenge others' 'face-wiping prayers' illustrates the principle of not being ashamed to pray publicly, though cautioning against extremes.

Never be embarrassed Now, you don't need to go to the extreme that a certain preacher that I heard about, he was with a group of men who gathered at a certain place for a luncheon. They were all professing Christians and most of them did what I call the face-wiping prayer. They just go, that's it, see? They want to get over it real quick.

33:38 - 33:55 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are weak and doubt your ability to stand in Christ, do not associate with tempting situations; flee like Joseph.

Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well is used as an example of engaging with unsaved individuals in normal social contacts, without being defiled, to share the gospel.

And the Bible says if we abide in Him, we ought to walk as He walked. Remember what our Lord did? He used the normal social contacts. He stopped at a well one time for a drink of water and a woman came for water and so He began to talk about water.

37:11 - 37:27 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are weak and doubt your ability to stand in Christ, do not associate with tempting situations; flee like Joseph.

Joseph's flight from Potiphar's wife is used to illustrate that if one is spiritually weak and susceptible to temptation, it is better to flee than to attempt to witness in a compromising situation.

Now, if you're so weak that talking with her is going to make you fall with her, you better run. That's what Joseph did. He didn't try to witness to Potiphar's wife. When she made her intentions known and grabbed hold of him, he took off and that's what you better do.

37:43 - 37:56 Read in full sermon

The point: If you are weak and doubt your ability to stand in Christ, do not associate with tempting situations; flee like Joseph.

Martin shares a personal experience of witnessing to a bitter man, acknowledging the difficulty of hearing his complaints but emphasizing the necessity of getting close to be a light.

But dear ones, unless we get close enough to gain His confidence, we're never going to let our light shine before Him. God has given some wonderful opportunities of witness here in the home where Mr. Blair is staying up there at the Hilltop Home in West Caldwell. There's a man there who's very open to spiritual counsel and witness.

38:25 - 38:44 Read in full sermon

The point: Allow bitter or 'stinky' people to pour out their hearts and show them interest, so you can preach Christ to them.

The analogy of a neighbor's stogies stinking up one's house is used to illustrate that external defilement (like smoke) is less important than the opportunity to bear witness and that true defilement comes from within.

But oh dear ones, I cannot be light to that man unless I let him pour out his bitterness and show him an interest and then begin to preach Christ to him. Sure, you're disgusted by that fact that that neighbor that you'll have over is going to stink up your house for the next week with his stogies. Let him stink it up! If it means you're going to have an opportunity to bear witness,

39:02 - 39:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Open your homes not just to saints, but to sinners, that they might see the light of a Christian home.

Jesus dining with publicans and sinners at Matthew's house is used to demonstrate Christ's willingness to associate with the lost to call them to repentance, serving as a model for believers.

Then when he went into the home of Matthew, Matthew got saved in Matthew 9. We read about it. And then Jesus went to his house for a banquet. And when the Pharisees and publicans saw it, the Pharisees and the scribes, they said, look at that.

39:57 - 40:11 Read in full sermon