28.Oct.2009 Love the House; Salt the Earth

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:34 — 29.0MB)

Isaiah 62:1 (NLT): Because I love Zion, I will not keep still. Because my heart yearns for Jerusalem, I cannot remain silent. I will not stop praying for her until her righteousness shines like the dawn, and her salvation blazes like a burning torch.

Matthew 5:13-14 (NLT): “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

The House of God is a place of Love. It is here that the Word of God (logos) and the Revelations found in God’s Word (Rama) mix with Fellowship with fellow believers to begin a transforming of our lives. We thrive in the Love of God in the House of Go, and, in turn, we gain a Love for the House. Isaiah loved the House. He loved it so much that he strived to see it become something fantastic!

We become stronger the longer we are in the House. The Word gets into our minds, changing negative mindsets that trap us into confident minds that are fueled by the truths and promises of God. Attitudes and behaviors change; bitterness and anger melt away; and love becomes the center of our world. Love for God. Love for each other. Love for the House. And when strength is given, we are ready to head out into the world.

Jesus calls us “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” Two different words: earth and world; with two different meanings. The Light portion will be discussed next week, but let’s focus in on the Salt. What does Salt do? It preserves! Fisherman would use salt to preserve the fish once it was caught. They would put the fish into crates and POUR the salt over it; then, they would RUB the salt INTO the fish! The salt would keep the fish from decaying for two days or more!

When a fish is not preserved, it begins to stink. It is decaying because it is dead. The World is full of death. Like a fish being caught dies instantly, a child born into this world begins to die. It is a slow death that we call life. Jesus knows this. He sees the darkness and decay of the world. He asks us to be the Salt that preserves the world. He does not ask us to sprinkle a little salt here and there. He wants us to POUR ourselves out and EMBED ourselves into people’s worlds. He wants us to keep them alive until they give their lives to Him! We can do this by loving them. And we gain the strength to love by being in the House, letting the Word get into us, and letting God’s people surround us. We become strong! And then, we take our salt into the world, there to preserve the dead and the rotting.