"Salt and Light" (Pt. 1)

(Part 1)

 

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled on by men.”

                                                                                                            Matthew 5:13

You are the salt of the earth. Unfortunately, the perception of salt in our culture has substantially weakened the significance of Jesus’ statement. For us, salt is cheap, plentiful, and easily accessible.

However, in Christ’s day, salt was a necessity of life. It was vital in the preservation of food. So much so that great value was placed on it. In fact, it was so valuable that sometimes it was used as money.

One commentator wrote:  “The Roman soldiers of Jesus day were at times paid with it. In fact our word salary comes from the Latin word salarium which referred to the payments made to soldiers with salt.”

The value of salt begins to take on greater value and meaning when one must depend on it to preserve food and provide for one’s family.

However, Jesus, likely had more than salt’s value in mind when he declared “You are the salt of the earth.” He also understood its usefulness.

Today, when describing uses for salt, most people immediately describe its application as a flavoring as its greatest benefit. In Christ’s day, however, salt’s capacity to preserve was its greatest asset.

Salt was important to survival. It was their only method to preserve meat. Salt would be rubbed into meat prior to being stored and the salt would then hinder the decaying process.

As Christians we have the responsibility of “hindering the decaying process” that prevails within our culture by opposing the immorality so prevalent in our society and standing for righteousness.

We certainly should not be joining in and facilitating the depravation. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:20-21:

“Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belong to it, do you submit to its rules: “Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”

Our function, as salt, is to be a preserving agent in our culture by living righteous lives guided by the Word of God.

  

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

"Were not ten cleansed" (Part 2 of 2)

(Part 2 of 2)

 

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

                                                                                                William Arthur Ward

In Luke 17:11-13 we read about Jesus’ encounter with ten lepers as he was traveling on his way to Jerusalem. In this passage we learn some interesting things about them:

“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

All ten were afflicted with the same disease. They had all been separated from family and friends, given up jobs, and had to struggle with the same physical ailments. All ten of them cried out to Jesus for help and verse 14 tells us that they all responded in obedience and were healed:

“When he saw them, he said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were healed.”

However, this is where one of them distinguishes himself from the rest. One of them, recognizing he was healed, stopped everything he was doing and returned to the source of his blessing. The other nine pushed ahead to show themselves to the priests.

One commentator wrote in regards to them: “The nine lepers had their minds on the future, on resuming the life they had left behind because of the illness. Their minds were full of scenes of reunions with wives and children. There is no indication that their goals and future actions were anything but respectable.”

These were not bad men, however, when the one man returned Jesus immediately asked:

 “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and praise God except this foreigner?”

                                                                                                Luke 17:17-18

Don’t confuse appreciation with gratitude! They are not synonyms. Gratitude will always culminate with an expression of thanksgiving or praise!

The Samaritan was grateful for the grace he received and expressed it in the form of praise. The other nine, though appreciative of the benefit they received; never expressed their gratitude towards Christ. Because of this, the foreigner was transformed and received much more than his physical healing. Scripture says he was made whole (healed, saved, and delivered), not merely cleansed.

By not expressing their gratitude, the nine shortchanged themselves, but more significantly they robbed God of praise.

Here is the rub. According to Scripture, the one that returned was a Samaritan and the other nine were, likely, Jewish. It is sad, that so often the value and blessing of God’s grace is lost on those who ought to realize it most. As Christians, we ought to be the most grateful, thankful people on the planet and so in turn be the most expressive with our gratitude!

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

 

"Were not ten cleansed?" (Part 1 of 2)

“Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”

                                                                                                            Luke 17:17-18

In Luke 17:11-19 we are introduced to the story of Jesus and the ten lepers. In Luke’s account, ten lepers have an encounter with Jesus as he is traveling along the border between Samaria and Galilee.

As Jesus passed by, they stood at a distance and cried out “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When Jesus saw them, he instructed them to go show themselves to the priests and as they went they were cleansed.

Scripture tells us that one of them, a Samaritan, when he saw that he had been healed, came back praising God, threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.

Gratitude by definition is a feeling of appreciation or thanks; the ability to understand the worth or quality or importance of something; to be conscious of a benefit received; to be well-pleased.

If, however, this is all gratitude is, then why would Jesus care if only one man out of the ten men returned to give Him praise? I am certain that each of the other nine sensed a feeling of appreciation, understood the value of what had happened to them, were conscious of the benefit, and were well pleased.

The truth about gratitude is this: Gratitude is a feeling that isn’t truly revealed, until it is expressed.

If you give a child a candy bar; he or she may take it, smile, and run off. Someone might watch that interaction and say “What an ungrateful child,” because they didn’t say ‘thank you’. Even though, according to the definition, they felt appreciation, were conscious of the benefit, aware of its worth, and well pleased; they still appeared as ungrateful because they never expressed their gratitude. It is the expression of gratitude that validates the experience.

 

In fact, gratitude is not truly gratitude at all if we are not moved beyond appreciation to thanksgiving. Robert Brault once said:

“There is no such thing as gratitude unexpressed; it is plain old fashioned ingratitude.”

Many of us like the ten lepers never move beyond appreciation into the realm of expression!

 

Pastor Scott Burr                                                                    

http://faithandworshipseries.blogspot.com/

Developing Godly Character: Holiness (Part 8)

Part 8

“And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”

                                                                                                               Isaiah 6:3-5

Exposure to God’s holiness will ignite in us the fear of the Lord! When exposed to God’s holiness, Isaiah cried out “Woe to me! I am a man of unclean lips”! He was immediately humbled and overtaken by Godly fear and reverence for the Almighty.

Many today lack this important facet of our faith, known as the fear of the Lord. This conspicuous absence is derived from a neglect of time engaging and contemplating God’s holiness and His separation from all that is vile and wicked.

However, God’s holiness is not simply a matter of being separated from evil. The true essence of holiness is not merely being separated from something, but more accurately being set apart to something.

Items that were made for use in the Temple, were made out of materials that were present among the Israelites at the time of their exodus from Egypt. Temple articles were made of bronze, silver and gold. Many of the items that were used to form these holy relics were fashioned out of precious metals that were once earrings, bracelets, plates, and goblets. Those items were melted down and formed into the items needed for temple worship.

However, these items were not created holy! They became holy when they were consecrated (separated and made pure) for use in God’s House. These items were separated from common use, where they may be contaminated and tainted, and set apart unto purity.

God’s holiness, therefore, reflects both the ideas of separation and purity, which is God’s desire for us. The Apostle Paul wrote:

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.”

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                       Ephesians 1:4

God desires for us to pursue holiness. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:15-16:

“But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

Holiness, however, can only be emulated by those who are striving to grasp God’s holiness. The more exposed we are to His holiness, the more painfully aware we become of our unholiness. This revelation, then gives us the proper footing we need to move towards purity, which in turn draws us deeper into God’s holiness.