I hope you pay attention to those
words. Very good. Chose them on purpose. First, I mean, Matthew, chapter
5. I started to say 1 Peter. I just did a radio message this
morning from that. Matthew 5. Let's read verses 13 through
16. And Brother Dale, Lord willing,
will be here Sunday and will teach verses seventeen through
twenty. Matthew five, thirteen through
sixteen, our Lord speaks and says, Ye are the salt of the
earth, but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it
be salted? It is henceforth good for nothing
but to be cast out. to be trodden underfoot of men.
Ye are the light of the world. The city that is set on a hill
cannot be hid, neither do men light a candle, put it under
a bushel, but on a candlestick, and it giveth light unto all
that are in the house. Let your light so shine before
men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father
which is in heaven. Now I know what every one of
you who profess to be believers are thinking after reading that. Because I thought the same thing. I don't feel like salt. And I
sure don't feel like the light of the world. Is that what you were thinking?
Were you not feeling shame? That's part of the reason I delayed
this message. But my own feelings of inadequacy
and unworthiness to deal with it. But I learned something. And maybe I'll just take two
weeks to study something. But I learned something while
studying this. I think you will, too. There is an application
here, a definite application to the character of every believer,
without a doubt. But that is not the principal
meaning behind it. You're going to see this with
me. It's not the principal meaning. The primary meaning of this is
in keeping with the context and the rest of Scripture. It's
got to be in keeping with the rest of Scripture. Right? All right, look at what our Lord
just said. verses eleven and twelve. He said, Blessed are
ye when men shall revile you and persecute you. Now he's speaking
to his disciples, the apostles, primarily, but he's speaking
to us too. We're his disciples. And the
apostles were about to be sent out preaching the word. And he's
warning them, forewarning them, you're going to be hated. You're
going to be persecuted. The prophets were, and so will
you be. And the Lord says that to us too. Everyone who takes up the manner
of Christ, everyone who believes the truth and declares it in
whatever way, wherever they are, is hated. Read on. He said, you
will be persecuted and they'll say all manner of evil against
you falsely. That is, slander you, lie on
you, for my sake, Christ's sake, the glory, the honor of Christ.
Read on. But he said rejoice. Rejoice. The time to worry is when men
speak well of you. The time to worry is when nobody
hates you. But if they do, rejoice and be
exceedingly glad. For great is your reward in heaven,
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Ye are
the salt of the earth. You see that he said that right
after he said that about being persecuted. So it's got to be
in keeping with the content. All who preach and witness the
gospel of God's sovereign electing grace in Christ will be persecuted,
will be hated, will be slandered by this world. And all who, they
do it, we do it for Christ's sake. Don't you? Also, those
who truly love God, the honor of God, the glory of God, they
must speak of His glory, His sovereignty, His will, His power
and so forth, His salvation, right? A true believer wouldn't
dare, wouldn't think of sharing any of that glory or giving man
one ounce of that glory. They're truly interested in God's
Christ Christ. That's what that means for Christ's
sake. Why do we why do we declare the truth at the expense of being
hated? It's for Christ's sake. If you love somebody, you won't
care what anybody thinks about you when you defend them, will
you? It's for their sake. Let them hate me. Right. If you love the truth, it's for
the truth's sake. The truth's sake. You know, men
and women defend these rotten to the core politicians. They
defend them tooth and nail. They defend whoever and whatever
that aren't worth defending and will fight you over it. But our God is truth. Every man a liar, and we defend
his call. He doesn't need defending, but
nevertheless, anybody that loves him, his honor, his glory, his
word is just zealous of his glory and honor. So, he's telling his
disciples, you're about to go out into the corrupt world. It's
a sinful, corrupt, stinking world. Isn't that what Psalm 19 says?
God looked down from heaven to see if there were any that did
understand, if there were any that did speak after God. What
does it say? They're altogether unprofitable. They're altogether
become, you know what the word is, don't you, John? Stinking. The word is filthy, but in the
margin it says stinking. There's not a human being that
is a sweet-smelling savior to God Almighty until Christ came. whole rotten planet thanks to
God he says you're the salt of the earth. Now what does that mean salt
of the earth? Leviticus 2 turn over there this is one of the
first mentions actually I think the first mention is in Genesis
when Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt. So it can't
primarily mean character. Right? She was turned into one. She was reprimanded. Leviticus
2, and as I said, it does have an application, and we'll see
that in a little bit, but Leviticus 2, now here it is, the depth
of the meaning. Leviticus 2, look at verse 12
and 13. As for the oration of the firstfruits,
you shall offer them unto the Lord, but they shall not be burnt
on the altar for a sweet savor. Every oblation, every oblation
of thy meat offering shalt thou season with salt. Neither shalt
thou suffer the salt of the covenant of thy God to be lacking from
thy meat offering. With all thine offering thou
shalt offer salt." Now this is said so many times, you just
can't believe it. Covenant of salt, covenant of
salt over numbers. It says that God gave them. So
there's a number. Speaking to the high priest is
all I have given unto thee and thy sons and nine daughters,
it is a covenant of salt forever. And if you were listening carefully.
As we read Second Chronicle. It says that David, God gave
the kingdom to David by a covenant of salt. Did you read that? What's that. And I'll give you
a clue OK. Here's a clue. Salt is God made
and God given. Covenant. Salt. What's salt. Ah, it says every oblation must
have salt in it. Salt of the covenant, with all
thine offerings, salt. What's salt? I've asked you a
lot of questions before and I've told you two words will give
you the answer. With every oblation there must
be grace or Christ. Same word. The salt of the covenant,
the Christ of the covenant, the grace of the covenant of grace.
With all thine offerings, salt. Christ great power we say. I grace you said. As anybody
said. I grace has anybody ever been
set by Greg what covenant and as every senator been under.
Right right by Greg it's got made and God get salvation by
Greg and as I read to you numbers is he said I've given it under
you. In a couple of some. Now, Christ is the sacrifice,
Christ is the oblation, Christ is the salt, Christ is the grace
of God personified, and Christ is in every believer. As he is,
so are we in the world. As he is, so are we in the world.
We are salt. The heart of every believer,
Scripture said, it's a good thing that the heart be established
with what? Grace, solace. Our Lord said later on, have
salt in yourself. Our Lord said it too. He repeated
it. He said every sacrifice will be salted with salt. Have salt
in yourself. That's not something you produce,
is it? Are we, are we, and I read a
couple of commentators and they flat missed it. I read Arthur
Pink and he got it. He got it. And he hit it on the
head. But some of these other fellows
said that believers are what? We're the preserving influence on this
world. Who is the preserving influence?
Jesus Christ is. And we're going to see the light
of the world. Who is the light of the world? Christ said, I'm
the light of the world. And we're going to see that in
a minute. I get to it. All right. Now, go back to Second Chronicles
again that we read together. Second Chronicles 13. Paul said
in Colossians 3, your speech needs to be seasoned with what? Grace. Seasoned with salt. It's the same thing. Same thing. Second Chronicles chapter 13. Go back there again. I'm looking
for a second Chronicles thirteen look at this again. Verse five
ought you not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom
over Israel to David forever even to him and to his son my
covenant of salt. You see what that means. ought
he not to know and God's people do that God gave the kingdom
over Israel to who the son of David Jesus Christ and his son. He's the firstborn among many
brethren by a covenant of what? Grace. Am I taking it out of context?
No, it's a law of first mention. My pastor taught me that years
ago, the law of first mention. If you have trouble knowing what
something means, go back to where it's first mentioned, and it'll
give you the meaning. All right. Salvation. Here we
go again. Salvation is by the sovereign
electing grace of God Almighty. Sovereignly, freely bestowed
upon God's elect. Do you ever get tired of hearing
that? I don't get tired of telling it. They were given to Christ
in a covenant before the world began what kind of work. He was for him but not for us. This is a covenant of grace.
All freely given. Free grace we call it. There's
really no other kind. But Christ was under a covenant
of works to the Father to keep the law. You're going to see
that in Matthew 5. Brother Dale preached it. Every part of our
salvation is by grace, seasoned with salt. Isn't it? It's an election of grace, calling
of grace, repentance by grace, faith by grace, and works or
fruit by grace. like salt now here there's a
meaning some typology of salt OK you like this salt and the
reason the Lord uses this and that you're the salt of the earth.
The gospel of God's sovereign electing grace is like salt is
unsavory to the natural man. If you if you give. Kelly a spoonful
of salt what's she going to do. spit it out. Give her a spoonful of sugar,
she's going to love it. And she's hooked from then on.
Right? Nobody likes salt by nature.
It's really an acquired taste. Isn't this a good analogy? Nobody
likes sovereign grace by nature. It's distasteful. to the natural
man. You give him some sugar, and
he'll just lap that up. Tell him how much God loves him,
and God needs him, and how he can, you know, make himself approved
to God. And he'll think, oh, that just
sugary sweet syrupy. Oh, I like that. But the salt. Salt bites. Salt stings. Wounds were to be
salted. Gospel first stings and bites
until God gives a taste for it. And like salt, once you acquire
a taste for it, once you get a taste for it, you'll start
using too much. And somebody will tell you, quit
using that salt. You're not told to quit using
salt. God says use it, just don't use too much of it. You can't
say too much about God's salt of grace. Preacher can't preach
too much grace. Can he? Can't do it. God's people love it. Salt makes
things savory. The world, as we said, is a stinking
place. It's dead. Dead. Every believer, by nature. is
corrupt, stinking, but Christ came, salt, to an unsavory world. The gospel of Christ came to
you and we were salted, like the child in the field,
remember? He said your navel was not salted. What's a navel? A source of life,
the depth of your being, the very center of your person. It's
a good thing that the heart be established with grace. And when
he took care of that, he salted the navel. Now, I'm making this up. This
is Scripture. And the gospel of Christ is the only thing that
makes us savory to God. The only thing. In ourselves,
we're not pleasing. We're stinking. But the gospel
of Christ makes us savory, turns us into salt. We're predestined to be conformed
to the image of Christ. Salt tenderizes them. The best
way to tenderize meat is to use salt. Salt preserves. It keeps meat for a long time.
Even the toughest meat can be tenderized with salt, and the
hardest heart will be broken by God's sovereign grace. And
we're kept, how? How are we kept? To keep ourselves? kept by the grace of God. Kept
by the grace of God, softened by grace, kept by the gospel
of God's grace. All right, go back to the text.
Matthew 5. Now, here's a warning and an admonition of the Lord
to preachers first, to me first, and to everyone, as a witness
of Christ. Are you with me? Because this is too solemn to
miss it. All right? If the salt had lost
his Wherewith shall it be salted, or what are you going to salt
with it? It's henceforth good for nothing
but to be cast out, to be trodden underfoot of men. So keep it in context here. You're the salt, he's telling
his preachers, telling me, and all of his witnesses. You're
the salt of the earth as you declare the gospel of God's sovereign
grace in Christ. You with me. That's our purpose for existence. Absolutely. The purpose of Central
Baptist Church to declare the gospel of God's sovereign of
the glory of God and the glory of his son salt. But if the salt
lost its flavor. It's no more salty but it's less
offensive. That's offensive man please if
the offense has been removed. What good is it. So you see that
admonition. All it's good for is to be trodden
under the foot of man and that's what modern preachers are. And I've run into them as a big
fellow one of the largest places here in town who claims to believe
grace. The doctrines of grace claim
to be. But he wouldn't. Preach it publicly and has said
this to some of his members as do all of these cowards. He said this he said this to
one of his members he said that's family doctor. That's what they all say and
that's their excuse John for not telling it and for not telling
the offense of the cross and suffering persecution. And those men like that are worthless. And literally they're trodden
underfoot by men. Nobody respects them. They're
pea-brained effeminate little pinhead. I don't call them preachers. Nobody respects them. They don't
have an ounce of respect by anybody. Not an ounce. They're just socializers,
politicians, and so forth. Isn't that right? And I'll have
you know that the man who preached grace even in the communities
where they are respected. Hated. Respect. As being. That's right. Not panty waste. Can I use that term? I just did. I can't think of an adjective. I'd like to use the adjectives
that are really on my mind. concerning these fell the Lord
said to be trodden underfoot of me nobody tried Peter on the
foot nobody tried Paul on the foot. James John they were called
the sons of thunder. Sons of thunder nobody going
to walk all over them that's what that means Stephen nobody
going to walk all over them. Men that command respect why
because their God commands respect. Their gospel is the only respectable
gospel. It's the only gospel there is.
Salt! It's a good thing. Salt. Paul said, Woe is unto me. Woe
is unto the preacher first and all of us if we preach not the
gospel of God's sovereign electing grace in Christ. If we remove
the fence, the offense, Now we're no more profitable in this world.
We have no use in this world whatsoever. No use. That's why
we're here. You're the salt of the earth.
That's what they mean. Now, there is a sense,
there really is a sense in which believers preserve this world.
In other words, God hasn't destroyed this world. Why? Because believers
are in it. He hadn't destroyed this planet
because The last of his elect is not born yet. It might be
Melody's child. It might. And it might. And then this place is gone.
There's no more. Nothing the best to be done. And there is a sense in which
the character of believers make this a savory place. You know,
really, if it weren't for believers, I wouldn't want to be a flip
here. Would you? I told you about when I worked
on the railroad all the live long day. Steve, we know why
that guy wrote that song. All the live long day. That's
what you feel about M.W. All the live long day. I don't know. I told you how
that brother Dale Parker used to work with me, and we'd see
each other in the course of a shift, sometimes midnight. I worked
that midnight shift, 11 to 7, for years. And we'd see each
other across the whatever, across the roundhouse or wherever. And
we'd go running toward each other. Just a friendly face, you know.
Is that the way y'all do it? You're glad to see one another.
It's the only thing that makes M.W. tolerable is to see Patrick's
smiling Irish face every now and then. You're the salt. As the scripture says, the world
is not worthy of these people. It's not. But this is why God
sent them. And now look at verse fourteen.
You are the light of the world. The city that is set on a hill
cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle
and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick. And it giveth
light unto all that are in the house. You are the light of the
world. Once again, what is light? God made and God given. Do you have any light in yourself?
Can you produce light? God said, let there be light. 2 Corinthians 4, he said, God
caused the light to shine out of darkness, and done what? Shined
in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God. That's a gospel verse that I've
ever heard one. The light, that is the understanding
of the knowledge of the glory of God. What's the gospel? It's
about the glory of God. Ask Moses, show me your glory.
I'll be merciful. I'll be gracious. I'll proclaim
my name. The light of the knowledge of
the glory of God. Where is it? It's in our face. The sun of righteousness. What is our life? It's reflected
light. It's reflected light. The light
comes from Christ in us. It's not our own light. You've
got to let your little light shine. That's what they say, and what
they really mean is, toot your own horn. Your light, what is your light?
It's not to go out and display yourself. Look at me. I'm a Christian. Oh, how I love Jesus. That's
not your light. Christ is your light. How do
you let your light shine? You declare Christ. You're out
to declare His glory, His honor, that He is the light. John said,
I bore witness to you that I am not that light. John bore witness
to the light. Didn't he say that? I'm telling
you, John said, I am not the light. He's the light. that lightens every man that
cometh into the world. If anybody's got light, he gave
it. How do you let your light shine?
You declare Christ. You see how these imbeciles have
missed this? This is the primary meaning of this. It's a salt. It's grace. Salt of the covenant. Light. Who? Christ. God is light. Christ is light. Here is condemnation. Light came into the world, but
what? Men love darkness rather than light. But God has shined in our heart. Christ is the light that is in
us. And we are light, each of us as believers are light, according
as we preach Christ in this dark world. That's about it. It says, City set on a hill.
What's the hill? Mount Zion. can't be. Now, some pretend to believe
the gospel. Like I told you, they get to keep it to themselves,
call it family doctrine. They're a group called primitive
Baptists. And I'm not. Saying that all
of them are this way, but. I believe there may be some believers
in that bunch, but I tell you what. Anybody believes that you
don't need to evangelize that people don't need to hear the
gospel to be saved or they don't believe in missions or they're
not believers. They're not believers. Anybody that keeps the gospel
hidden, they don't believe the gospel. Right? A preacher that keeps it hidden,
he's not light. Men don't put a candle. You notice
what he said about our light? A candle. A candle. compared to the sun. But you don't put it under a
bushel. You don't put it under a bushel. You don't hide it.
That's like that unjust steward that had the coin. He buried
it. He believed God was an austere master, sovereign. Now, if they're
going to be saved, they're going to be saved. God called him a
wicked servant, didn't He? All right. Like I said, your
light is Christ's. All right, look what he says
here. I told you there is application. Well, he goes on to say, let
your light so shine before men that they may see your good works
and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Your good works. What is a good work? In keeping
with the scripture. What is a good work? Now the works of the flesh are
manifest in Galatians 5. Adultery, on and on and so forth.
Hatred, emulation, variance and so forth. The fruit of the Spirit
is love, joy, peace, longsuffering and so forth. Let me give you a scripture where
the Lord calls something a good work. Okay? Now the Lord Jesus uncontrollably to where Christ
was sitting. And she had all of her possessions
in this alabaster box and broke it open and anointed the blessed
head of the Lord Jesus Christ, her only hope and her only Savior,
in glory to Him. magnifying Him, exalting Him,
believing Him, trusting Him, casting all her care on Him,
laying her hands on the head of the snake goat. And Christ
said, She hath done a good work. She's glorified me. That's a good. Are you with me? That they may
see your good work. the Pharisees and the scribes
and the Sadducees, do what they do to be seen of men. The Lord's
going to tell us that in Matthew 6. All they do to be seen of
men, to see their works. Is the Lord telling us that men
need to see your works? Well, they need to glorify God,
seeing what God hath done, yes. What God hath done in us. What
God hath done. Now, listen to me. So there's
no make application your faith without work is there. You cannot be separate. They
go together. Whoever God gives faith to saving
faith that he gives the fruit of the spirit. Whoever God puts
Christ in they bear the image of Christ. They look like. Not exactly. But something like. I told you that poem that I love,
you love, or that saying of John Newton, I'm not what I want to
be, not by any means. I'm not what I ought to be, and
I'm sure not what I'm going to be. But thank God, not what I
used to be. See, that glorifies God, and
what kind of God would he be if he doesn't save us from our
sins, if he doesn't raise us from darkness to light? What
kind of savior would he be if we leave this on the downhill? He raises us from the downhill
to do what? Sit among princes. He didn't leave the demoniac
in chains naked. He clothed him, put him in his
right mind, and sat him down where he needed to be, worshiping
Christ. That's what he was doing. An unsavory life makes the gospel
unsavory. That's just a fact. Doesn't it?
An unsavory life makes the gospel unsavory. One who exhibits the
character of Christ in an ungodly world glorifies God. Glorifies
God's saving grace. When people see an old scoundrel,
an old no-good, rotten, gutter-dwelling sinner raised up like the blind
man, they'll say, that can't be him. I mean, it looks like
he's not saying. That glorifies God, doesn't glorify
them. Like the blind man. Here's the
good word. The blind man said, they said, how did you get your
sight? He said, somebody gave it to me. He gave all the glory to Christ.
That was his work. Barbara, that was his work from
then on. Not to brag on how well he could
see, but about the one that gave him sight. Does that make sense? Sure it does. And he said in
Philippians 2, John, he said you, did you read that message? And in Philippians 2, it says
this, in reference to what we're talking about here. He says that
you may be blameless and harmless, sons of God. without rebuke,
in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye
shine as lights in the world." He doesn't stop there. Holding
forth the word of life. You catch that? You shine as
lights in the world, holding forth the light. Not your little light, but Christ's
light. And here it is, your father glorified.
So, to all of us as believers, you're salt. According as how
Christ is in you, and according as you declare the gospel of
God's sovereign grace, and you're light. You're light. According as we declare Christ
the light and reflect his image. May we be a saver of Christ and
a light in this dark world. Amen. All right. Stand with me. Our Father, thank you for opening
your word to us and not leaving us in darkness as others. Lord,
keep us from ignorance. Reveal to us in all things how
that Christ, in all the sacrifices, in all the oblations, in everything,
reveal to us how that Christ is all. Let not Satan, through
his subtlety, beguile us from the simplicity. that is in Christ. He's done it to so many. Let
it not be us, Lord. Protect us. Keep us holding forth
the word of life, the Lord Jesus Christ himself. It's in his name
we've met here tonight. Amen.