SALTY SERMONS

 

We need preachers who will deliver salty sermons!  Jesus did—and all preachers who follow His example will.  His mandate here encompasses a wider audience than preachers and a larger application than preaching, of course. All believers are to be salt in this society. Yet, it is unlikely that the church will be if her leaders are not setting the standard of saltiness and speaking salty sermons.

Salty sermons have a SEASONING CAPACITY.  Jesus said, “Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” Salt in the proper amount enhances the taste of the meat or vegetables for consumption. Too little salt and it is tasteless, and too much is overpowering. So, in our sermons, there needs to be the proper mixture of reproof, rebuke, exhortation, and doctrine delivered with patience, (cf. 2 Tim. 4:2). “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt,” (Col.4:6a). This makes our preaching palatable. If the congregation instantly spits out what we offer them, then what good have we done?

Salty sermons have a STERILIZING EFFICACY. Salt is applied to meat as a preservative. It arrests the spread of rottenness. Salty sermons equip the church to be in the world, yet not of the world. The people need to be preserved from the contamination that would corrupt them. Yet, they cannot be isolated from the world they live in. What we can do is help through our preaching to cleanse them—and that salt will sting—but then they will be challenged to be salt themselves. Otherwise, what good are they, and what point is there in our preaching?  So, our Lord warned, “It is neither fit for the land nor for the dunghill, but men throw it out.”  If our sermons are not salty, then the members will not be salty, and the world will reject the church as good for nothing!  Are we not seeing that today?

Salty sermons have a SOFTENING POTENCY. The hardness of ice can be melted by the softening potency of salt. So hard hearts that are resistant to God can be softened by salty sermons. The Holy Spirit has power and speaks through the Gospel to accomplish His effectual calling. This past week I spoke with a man who had not communicated with me for years. In fact, I did not recall him when he gave me his name. But, he was someone who rejected our outreach to him a long time ago. He had a hard heart and harsh language for me and my partner as we were doing outreach. Yet, the Gospel did its work. His heart melted in a time of crisis and he came to Christ!  He searched for my phone number so he could ask me to forgive him for his unkindness. That is what the salt of the Gospel can do!  Jesus said, “He who has ears, let him hear!”  Our task in preaching is not to soften the Gospel, but share the Gospel and trust God to soften hearts. Those who have spiritual hearing will respond—even if it takes awhile!

Men of God, give the message of God with faithfulness and fearlessness. This will lead to fruitfulness. May the Lord give us grace to deliver salty sermons!