Stay Salty 9/1/2019

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If this is your first or second time with us. Welcome to Branches Church! I am glad you are here. Branches is a Spirit filled, Spirit led church. What does that mean? As you have witnessed it means we are passionate in our praise and worship. It also means every service can turn out different. You never know what God is going to do during church. So come several weeks to see if you like what is happening here.
I say all of this, because today I want to preach to our church body. If you are a guest and this seems a little stronger preaching than you were expecting, come again. I don’t preach like this all the time. Maybe something I say today will bless your life and help you.
I want to start this sermon with reading scripture.
Mark 9:49–50 NKJV
49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
Everyone will be seasoned with fire, every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor…
Matthew 5:13 NKJV
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.
You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its flavor… It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out...
Luke 14:34–35 NKJV
34 “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? 35 It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
The dunghill was the dump of the city. It was where they placed trash and their sewage. If it loses its flavor… Not fit for the land nor for the dunghill.
If we are the salt, and there is a danger of losing our flavor, clearly we need to understand what Jesus is trying to communicate to us.

How can salt lose its flavor?

Does salt ever go bad? Does it spoil after a year? two years? five years? ten years? What about one hundred years?
Did you know that salt can never lose potency. If you took salt today and set it aside on the shelf. It doesn’t matter if it were one year or one hundred years. The salt would be just as effective as when you placed it on the shelf. Archeologist have found salt in burial sites of ancient Egypt, just as salty as the day the person died.
It does not spoil or turn bad. Salt alone can never lose flavor in and of itself.
Maybe Jesus was confused when he was speaking. Why would He intentionally choose to use salt as an example? Knowing that salt can never lose flavor.
There are two ways the effectiveness of salt can be diminished.
When it has been watered down.
When it has been mixed with a foreign element.
Salt loses its effectiveness when it is watered down or mixed with a foreign element.
If you have ever ask the question. Why is the church not as effective today? We only have ourself to blame.
We become so watered down or mixed with elements God never intended his church to allow in.
Sin
Carnality - flesh
Romans 8:6
Romans 8:6 NKJV
6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
The world
2 Corinthians 6:14-17
2 Corinthians 6:14–17 NKJV
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them And walk among them. I will be their God, And they shall be My people.” 17 Therefore “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.”
A church that is watered down can not make an impact of the world. Children of God who mix the world into their life, allow carnality to reign, or give place to sin…will never be effective.

Power of Salt

Salt is a powerful commodity. Jesus chose salt because salt typifies what His people should be.
Salt is necessary for life. Without a sufficient supply of salt in the diet a person would die.
Salt preserves.
Salt is flavorful, and enhances other flavors.
Salt has healing properties.
We need the people of God in our lives… We need one another.

Ineffective

All of those powerful things that salt can do become void when it has been watered down or infiltrated by a foreign object.
God grace will not embrace His truth being watered down, and will only take a bride that is pure.
We want pure truth and we want our lives to be purposefully clear of what God will reject.

Tell me how

Tell me what I need to do so that my life does not become the flavorless salt Jesus warned me about.
The answer is illustrated in the covenant. God made a covenant with Israel in the Old Testament. God has offered us a covenant.
A covenant is an agreement, a contract. If you have ever signed a contract, home, vehicle, etc. The contract states what both parties will do toward one another.
Example: Under contract on a home…Seller will sell the home to buyer, buyer will secure financing and pay seller.
The thing that binds a contract together is loyalty to the word of the contract or loyalty to the opposite party.
God’s loyalty to His word and to us should be without question.
Repeatedly God told Israel “if you will keep my commandments, covenant, obey...”
Exodus 19:5 NKJV
5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
The book of Leviticus gives us the details of the covenant. In this book God gives the details of the priests duties, the peoples approach to worshipping Him. Their responsibility in receiving His blessings. The largest part of the covenant is given to worship. Worship was a daily occurence and heavily involved sacrifice. Sacrifices were continuous and made daily in the temple. Every day a sacrifice was made on behalf of the people, individuals would bring their own personal sacrifice.
Each sacrifice was to be prepared according to the covenant.
Numbers 18:19 NKJV
19 “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”
A heave offering was any type of contribution to worship. Any sacrifice had to be seasoned with salt.
Leviticus 2:13 NKJV
13 And every offering of your grain offering you shall season with salt; you shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your grain offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
Even the grain offerings were salted.
Altar Music
Salt was so often used that God told the people to bring it without measure. A room in the temple was dedicated to storing the salt for sacrifices.
Numbers 18:19 NKJV
19 “All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer to the Lord, I have given to you and your sons and daughters with you as an ordinance forever; it is a covenant of salt forever before the Lord with you and your descendants with you.”
It is a covenant of salt…
Salt had to be included with every sacrifice that was placed on the altar.
Mark 9:49–50 NKJV
49 “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. 50 Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.”
We are the salt.
The salt must go on the altar with the sacrifice.
The answer for maintaining a powerful and potent spiritual life is always going to be keeping your life on the altar with the Lord.
Luke 17:33 NKJV
33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.
Life is found on an altar.
The altar is going to preserve your life.
The altar, the sacrifice will enhance your life.
The healing you need is going to be on the altar.
Romans 12:1 NKJV
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Only you can put your life on the altar with the sacrifice!
How?
Repentance - death to self
Baptism in the name of Jesus Christ - Buried with the sacrifice
Receiving the promise of the Holy Spirit - New Life
Daily sacrifice putting your life on the altar.
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