Observations and Challenges from Dr. Michael Youssef to begin this episode of Leading the Way Audio. Thank you for making time in your day for Leading the Way with pastor and author, Dr. Michael Youssef. You know, it's easy to slip into discouragement when you look at the world today, but instead of being part of the problem, why not be a world changer? Today, hear the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5, challenging you to hunger and thirst for God, and in the process, impact others for Christ. If you're a new listener, let me encourage you to find out more about Dr. Youssef and Leading the Way. Just visit ltw.org and learn about the lives being changed right there in your neighborhood, and in neighborhoods just like yours, all around the world.
And do consider standing with Dr. Youssef in generous support, ltw.org. More on that later right now though, Dr. Youssef's timely series, Jesus Has an App for You. When Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple Computer died, the headlines basically heralded him as a world changer. The man who changed the world is dead.
And every one of us who use computers, and use Apple Computer particularly, are very grateful to all this wonderful things that he come up with, and we're grateful for that. But here is the undisputable biblical truth. Changing the way we live for the better is wonderful, and it's great, but it's hardly worth changing. Changing the destiny of men and women, boys and girls, from hell to heaven, that's world changing. And when Jesus looked at his disciples and he said to them, you are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world, he was saying that I'm going to give you an opportunity to be true world changers. I'm going to give you an opportunity to give up your small ambitions and become world changers. I'm going to give you the opportunity to transform the destinies, the eternal destinies of men and women, boys and girls, from hell to heaven. I'm going to give you the opportunity to change the eternal destiny of many. I'm going to give you the opportunity to give many people, millions of people, true peace of mind, true security, what's really secure, to give them joy, unspeakable, and fulfillment in life, to give them confidence in their new identity in Christ, to give them contentment in life. In fact, when Jesus said those words to the disciples, you are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, he did not make that statement in a vacuum.
He did not make that statement just out of the blue. He said this only after a whole series of what we call the Beatitudes. Blessed are you, blessed are you, blessed are you. Turn with me please to Matthew chapter 5. This chapter is known as the Sermon on the Mount. It is known as the greatest sermon that's ever preached, known as the Beatitudes, where Jesus said blessed are you, blessed are you, blessed are you.
So who are the salt of the earth? All the church-going folks? No. All the professing Christians? No. All those who claim to be followers of Jesus?
No. The salt of the earth are those who are poor in spirit, those who hunger for righteousness, those who are pure in heart, those who are peacemakers, those who gladly suffer for Christ's sake and for his name's sake. Those who rejoice when they are insulted because of their faith in Jesus Christ. That's who the salt of the earth are. Why did Jesus choose salt? Back then, salt was so highly valued.
It would be like a precious stone today. Today, salt and light are just commodities that we take for granted. But back then, salt was so valuable that Roman soldiers preferred to receive their wages in salt. They would protest, they would revolt against Rome if they were not given enough of the salt ration.
And that's why we're getting the English word, the word salary, which you get, you know, the income you get, the salary. It comes from the word salt money. In the Jewish culture, salt was equally valued. Let me give you just some of the importance of salt in the Old Testament and in the times of Jesus.
Just a few. First, it was used for healing and cleansing. 2 Kings chapter 2 verse 20. Secondly, salt was used as a symbol of binding a contract. When you make a contract, you take salt and you dip bread in it and you eat it. Even when people reconcile, they still do that in the Far East today. When they have reconciliation, they bring a plate of salt and they take bread and they dip it in it and they eat it. So we ate salt together. It means we're reconciled with each other. And that's the sign of a covenant.
In fact, you find that in Leviticus chapter 2 verse 13. It was used to whiten the clothes. It was used to stop bleeding. It was used as a stain remover. It was used to melt ice. It was used to season food. It was used to preserve and keep food from rotting. It was used as antiseptic. It was used to stimulate appetite as in Job 6 6.
And this is just a partial list of how important salt was to the Old Testament, to the hearers of Jesus of that first century. Just like a computer app, there are certain things you have to do. There are certain steps you have to follow to download an app. If you download the apps of leading the way or the Church of the Apostles, they are free.
But you have to do something to get them. Follow the steps. Follow instruction. And when Jesus began this app, he began by giving them the steps of being salt. How did he get there?
He gave them the credential of becoming world changers. You don't just automatically turn into salt. You become a salt.
Something else I don't want you to miss here before I really get to the message. Jesus is assuming that the person who is salt is living those beatitudes. Poor in spirit. Hunger and thirst for righteousness. All these things.
That's assumed. That you follow these, you become salt. The second thing Jesus is saying, that you don't need a whole lot of salt. Because you don't need a whole lot of salt to keep food from rotting. And you've heard the saying, a little bit of salt goes a long way. That is true here.
This is understood here. And the Lord was saying, it does not take a stadium packed with fans to become a world changer. It does not take majority vote to become a world changer. It does not take a clever marketing for Jesus to become a world changer. It does not take clergy with funny robes to become world changers. It does not take a powerful politician to be a world changer. It does not take a computer geek or a computer genius, whichever way they want to call it, to be a world changer. What it takes for the changing of the world is for men and women, boys and girls, who are sold out to Jesus Christ.
That is the truth here. In fact, modern critics of the Bible, some clever people. You know the people I'm talking about? They know better than Jesus?
Oh, we have a lot of those. They know a lot better than Jesus, the creator of the world. And they said, oh, Jesus is wrong. Salt never loses its saltness. And in many ways they're right.
But they never even understood what Jesus is saying in context here. Does the salt always stay salt? Sure. Yes. It cannot be anything else.
Yes. But how can a salt lose its saltness? How?
Very simply. You're getting it mixed up with lookalike substance. You're mixed up and it loses its effectiveness. That's the only way salt loses its saltness.
And that's what Jesus is really saying here. That the way to lose the impurity is by getting mixed up with other things. As a matter of fact, this was a huge problem to first century folks because unscrupulous sales people are selling salt. They would go and find white substance that looks like salt.
And because it's so expensive, because it's so valuable, they'll mix it up. And that's the buyers would go in and they have to taste the salt first before they buy. They can tell if it's lost its saltness by being mixed up with other contaminants. You see, that's how people will lose their saltness getting mixed up with contaminants. That is how salt loses its effectiveness. That is how salt loses its saltiness. How can a Christian lose his or her saltiness?
Listen to me very carefully, please. By placing one foot in the world and one foot with Christ. By allowing contamination of sin to dwell in us and dilute your life. By silencing the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit again and again and again until we become dull of hearing. By quenching the Holy Spirit and by grieving the Holy Spirit. By rationalizing sin in our lives and blame somebody else. This person did this, that's why I'm where I am. By refusing to believe that Jesus can set the captives free from whatever addiction they are into.
That contamination causes the salt to lose its saltness. So how do you download this app? Four different ways I want to share with you this morning, very quickly.
The first way is to become an antiseptic. In giving the disciples this app and Jesus asked them to get to download it. He is assuming that the world is rotting. Why would you need a salt if the world is not rotting?
Because there's something seriously wrong with the world. Jesus said you have to have salt and you are that salt. Because of the decaying element within society that's caused by sin that caused it to rot. And therefore he's assuming that therefore salt is needed. And that's where the faithful believers who hunger for righteousness come in. They are going to come and serve as antiseptic. Back then salt would keep food from rotting. Had no freezers, no refrigerators, none of these modern conveniences we all take for granted.
So if they took away salt from food it would rot overnight, literally overnight. Why is Jesus saying, and what is he saying here? He's saying those few believers who hunger for righteousness, who hunger after God, who thirst for God. Those few believers who are not worried about what names people call them because of their faith in Jesus Christ. Those few believers who are sold out to Jesus Christ, they will serve as antiseptic in society and they keep it from rotting altogether. However I'm convinced of this. Only in heaven will we understand how salt that is the righteous, those who thirst for righteousness are really preserving the world from becoming hell on earth.
We see a little glimpse of it here and a little glimpse of it there around the world. And the reason it is not rotting altogether is because those salt of the earth. Second, salt creates thirst and that's why Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, if you drink from this water you'll thirst again. But if you drink the water I give you, talking about salvation, you will not thirst again.
When we are walking in Christ's righteousness, not ours because we have none, but when we walk in Christ's righteousness some people are going to get thirsty by the salt which is our lives. I have a precious friend who's, I love this man so dearly, he's not a believer. I pray for him, precious man. And I know he genuinely loves me and I genuinely love him. On numerous occasions he has said to me, I would give anything to have what you have.
I'm praying for him as well as share Christ with him. I want you to hear me right please, this is important. It is a medical fact that without a proper percentage of salt in the body we can be dehydrated or even death is caused. So the certain percentage of salt must be there and that is why we are to create thirst on the part of some. But the third use of this app that Jesus gives us, that salt can be very painful when it falls on an open wound. Listen to me, that's why I am very slow, I really am, I'm extremely slow to get angry or disappointed even when I'm called every name in the book in the cyberspace world and I'm told there's a lot of them. God bless them.
Why? Because while righteousness is creating thirst on the part of some, that same righteousness stings hard when it lands on an open wound. The wound of sin and rebellion against God's design for humanity, the wound of disobedience to God's principles that he has set in place for the good of society. The wounds of anger and hate toward righteousness and love. The wounds of rejection of God's one and only plan to come to him and trying to come to him their way. The wounds of the offense of the gospel itself. And when salt hits that open wound of rebellion against God, stings.
Sadly there are many professing Christians who see these wounds and they look the other way. After all, everybody wants to be liked, right? That's just natural. That is why it is supernatural. Blessed are you when they insult you. But then you rejoice in the middle of that insult.
That's supernatural. Remember this, salt would sting the wound before it heals it. Folks don't want to pay the price of stinging the world so that the world might turn to Christ and be healed. Also Paul said in 2 Corinthians chapter 2 verse 15 and 16, for we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. In one we are creating thirst and the other one we are creating a sting. To the one we are the smell of death and to the other fragrance of life who is equal of the task. But there is a fourth use of this app that Jesus gives the disciples in Matthew 5.
And that is seasoning and preserving. Whether the world understands this or not, doesn't matter. Whether the society accepts what I'm going to tell you or even see it, or doubt it or not, it doesn't really matter. But godly disciples are making this world a better place to live in.
They can't see it. 2 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul talked about how in the last days when the restrainer withdrew, will withdraw the restrainer of sin. When the believers are taken to heaven, this earth will become hell. Today we have a media that is so hostile toward righteousness.
It really is. Open your eyes. They mock the righteous. They blaspheme the righteous. They insult the righteous. But they do that out of ignorance.
They really do. They don't understand that if they did not have the righteous living in the midst of this society, this world would not be livable. Colossians 4, 6, Paul said, let your conversation be always full of grace seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. We talk about the salt of the earth. We're referring to kind of good people, salt of the earth. Who are really the salt of the earth? Those who seek to be Christ-like.
Those who are committed to speaking the truth in love. That's who the salt of the earth is, according to Jesus. Today, sadly, much of the earth's salt has lost its saltness. How?
By being mixed up and diluted by lookalike substance. But here's the good news. Sodium chloride is a very stable chemical compound, which means it's resistant to any attack. Isn't that a good news? That when you are living and walking in righteousness, you are resistant to attack. The only thing that weakens your effectiveness is getting mixed up with the world's contaminants. When you stay pure in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, you are invincible. That's the good news.
Can I get a witness? The only thing that weakens your effectiveness is when impurities contaminates your life. And when salt is contaminated, it becomes useless. Now, as a matter of fact, it becomes dangerous.
You can't use it as a fertilizer because it will kill the plant. The only thing that is left for it to be used is tossed out in the streets. Back then, they didn't have asphalt, of course. And the way they made their roads harder from dust, they throw this bad contaminant salt on the ground.
And as people walk on it, as animals walk on it, they compound it and make it hard. In the early church, some segment of the early church, as you read in history, there were some people who required a repentant Christian. I'm not talking about a sinner coming to Christ, but somebody who was a Christian and turned away from Christ and came back to the church. That he would lie in front of the church and he would say those words, Trample upon me who am salt which has lost its savor. But thank God you don't have to do any of this. All you need to do is come to the throne room of God and say, Lord Jesus, I have allowed my life to be contaminated with all sorts of junk from the world. Lord God, forgive me. I have allowed my life to be mixed up with things that are not appropriate for a child of the living God. Please forgive me and the Lord will be more than delighted to forgive you and restore you to being salty. Encouragement from Dr. Michael Youssef to not contaminate your saltiness. Thank you for joining listeners across six continents for leading the way.
Find out more at ltw.org and 866-626-4356. You know, it's difficult to believe that we're in the month of August already. Soon fall we'll be here and the next thing you know, we'll be celebrating 2025. Well, since time is flying by so quickly, I do want to pause today just to express from the entire team at Leading the Way how very thankful we are for you. We're so thankful for those who listen every day and even those who listen occasionally. And we're thankful for those who stand with Dr. Youssef in prayer and in generosity.
It's your faithfulness that's made it possible for the gospel to be heard for more than 35 years across six continents and now in 28 of the world's most spoken languages. We're especially thankful for our frontline mission partners, those of you who commit to giving faithfully each and every month. That really gives Dr. Youssef and the leadership team the tools they need to plan strategically for growth and opportunities.
So, thank you. And if you haven't stepped up to become a frontline mission partner, we want to challenge you to do that today. There's no better time than right now. The gospel needs to be heard now more than ever before. And Dr. Youssef is looking forward to some amazing opportunities in the days ahead.
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That's Post Office Box 20100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30325. Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef is impacting lives with the gospel across six continents in 28 languages. Connect further with audio and video content at ltw.org or through your favorite social media platform, including YouTube, Facebook, Axe, previously called Twitter, Instagram, and more. This program is furnished by Leading the Way with Dr. Michael Youssef.
