September 1, 2024 • 39 mins
Ep. 050 Be Salty, Stay Light
Preserves, Prevents, Provides
Text: Matthew 5:13-16
- Salt Preserves
- Salt Prevents Corruption
- Salt Provides Zest and Flavour
Closing: Maintaining our Saltiness
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#201 231 Trans Canada Hwy.
Salmon Arm, BC, Canada
604-997-8446
Email: pottershousesa@icloud.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located
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in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship
Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism,
discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church
and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be your
host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing
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to you and bring you closer to God.
Hello and welcome back to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. It's David Bickford here
again. I'm the pastor here and today's message I've put together is called Be Salty, Stay
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Light. The subheading for this would be Preserves, Prevents, Provides. It's a 3P sermon today.
Preserves, Prevents, Provides. If you're going to follow along, the text we're going to be
using today is a jumping off point is Matthew 5 verses 13 through 16. If you've got your
Bible you can go ahead and pull that out and you can dive right in with me as we jump off.
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So five reasons why Chesty Puller is a Marine Corps legend. So if you've been listening
for a while you'll know that I was United States Marine and I was an air winger so that
means that I served with the Air Force version of the Marine Corps if you will. So I was
a helicopter crew chief. I worked on helicopters but in the United States Marine Corps. A lot
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of people don't realize the United States Marine Corps is its own military if you will.
We are a department of the Navy yes and so we use their ships but we actually have our
own landing craft. So we have some smaller vessels that we use to launch off to take
beachheads from the Navy. We come to shore and we're able to set up on the shore our
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own entire military and we can hold that beachhead ideally for a 90-day period of time which
allows the US Army to be able to mobilize and get there for a longer drawn out battle.
We have our own tank divisions, we have our own artillery divisions, we have our own infantry
divisions and we have our own aviation divisions. So our own F-18s and Harrier Jump Jets at
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least from the time when I was there. They have the Ospreys now and the CH-46 Frogs and
CH-53 Super Stallions which I was honored to be able to serve on during my time in the
Corps. And in that time one of the things that you come to realize very quickly as United
States Marine is that Chesty Polar is and was the man. He is somebody that exemplifies
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what it is to be a Marine back in his day and today as well. So Lieutenant General Louis
Chesty Polar, Chesty was his nickname, was a Marine's Marine, a bonafide hardcore leatherneck
with the scars to prove it but Chesty had one soft spot. His fierce loyalty and care
for his men, Polar's leadership is one of the reasons why to this day Marine Corps officers
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in the field never eat a meal until the enlisted men have been served. It's one of those things
within the military that helps build our esprit de corps, our bondage, or not bondage but
like our bond to serve together is because of people and men and leaders like Chesty
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Polar. So Chesty Polar, he has become a myth of a man in the United States Marine Corps
and beyond. His service to the Corps exemplifies what it means to be salty. He served as an
enlisted man and then he became an officer. He served from 1918 until 1955 just missing
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World War I but he went on and he fought in the Banana Wars or the South American Wars
and World War II and the Korean War as well. His exploits are too numerous to go into for
the time that we have today for this message but he is the most decorated Marine in all
of the United States Marine Corps history and he'll likely remain in that place of
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honor for a very long time if not forever. He was born June 26, 1898 in West Point, Virginia.
Polar grew up hunting and listening to tales of Civil War veterans told by his relatives
and he also had a heavy appetite for reading pouring through countless books of military
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history and military stories. He'd go on to become a well-known figure in Marine Corps
folklore as I said but he and this is both with exaggerated tales of his exploits but
also his experiences that we all can recount in Marine Corps history. So we're going to
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look at today for this message our call to be the salt and the light to the world and
this is a command to us from Jesus and as we move through the scripture I want to highlight
why we need to be salty and why we must remain the light. Let's look at our text in Matthew
5 13 through 16. Salt and light. You are to be the salt of the earth but if salt has lost
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its taste how shall its saltiness be restored it is no longer good for anything except to
be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. If you are the light of the world a
city set on a hill cannot be hidden. I misspoke that so you are the light of the world a city
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set on a hill cannot be hidden nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket but
on a stand and it gives light to the all in the house in the same way let your light shine
before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is
in heaven. So let's pray dear Lord God I pray that you would use this message to speak into
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people's hearts wherever they be and to help them to turn to you so that they can be redeemed
and set free but also that they could remain salty and be a light unto this fallen world
amen. So what did Jesus mean when he said you are the salt of the earth the following
application shows us that salt means to preserve prevent corruption and provide slavery. The
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power of the Sermon on the Mount is that our Savior Jesus Christ has always been willing
to lead by example. The Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew 5 chapter 5 through 7
and it's broken down into three main parts. You have the introduction or the kingdom identity.
You have the main body which is a picture of a greater righteousness within the kingdom
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of God and then you have the third portion the conclusion which is the choice that we
all have to come to. So the second section is broken down even further into three parts
you have the Torah and the prophets religious practices and the right relationship with
God so our text this morning is from the first part. Jesus introduces us to his kingdom the
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introduction announces the surprising counterintuitive identity of those who are going to be part
of God's kingdom. Matthew begins with the introduction in chapter 5 with the Beatitudes those who
are called to the kingdom of God the poor in spirit the grievers the unimportant the
hungry the merciful the pure in heart the peacemakers the persecuted the misunderstood
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the lowly are the ones that our Lord calls upon. We're called to be the salt of the land
we are called to carry on the covenant of God to its fulfillment through Christ and
in Matthew 5 14 we are told that we are meant to be the light in the fallen world. So as
we work through this message today we'll focus on being salty as Christ commanded and in
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doing so we will look at the saltiness of Chesty Polar the saltiest of all salty US
Marines. Here are five reasons why Polar became a Marine Corps legend. Lead by example is
the first one lead like a Marine. The number the second one is the legend of Chesty the
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third is that he's the most decorated Marine. The fourth is served is that he served both
as an officer and enlisted and fifth and final we'll look at some polarisms is in Chesty
polar polarisms. So let's get in salt preserves the church preserves and reinforces the qualities
of goodness honor justice and mercy in society. Salt has been used as a food safety aid since
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ancient times while salt helps to preserve food by reducing the water content and disrupting
microbial cells it can take a very high concentration of salt around 10 percent or more to prevent
that bacterial growth much higher than that is what is found in the food that we eat.
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So if you think of like salted foods foods that are going to be used in this manner rather
preserved in this manner you can think of like beet jerkier pickles or smoked salmon.
These are kind of things that are used with the preservation of salt these are foods of
the old before refrigeration. So to preserve our saltiness we must live according to the
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example of Christ. We have to keep the percentage or the concentration of Jesus in our life
high enough so that we can remain salty as he says. Jesus is king but he came to earth
as a servant he led us by example and that example exemplifies you know what we are supposed
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to do and how we are supposed to lead when we are here on earth. So lead like a mariner
lead by example this one of Pollard's mottoes was lead by example and it is not an empty
slogan in his life he lived with his men there were no officers messes in Pollard's units
and he fell into line with the privates carrying his own mess gear in combat he rigidly refused
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the comforts unattainable for his men and in training he carried his own pack and bedding
roll while marching at the head of his battalion. This is something that is hard for many to
understand maybe if they have not served in the military they do not quite understand
this. When you are marching when you are in a forced march and you see like a leader you
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see somebody who is going to take you know pull ahead or take a ride that is a pretty
demoralizing thing when you are drudging through you might have seen or heard stuff like that
from other movies or stories where you have like the knights that are coming across in
their you know on their horses while the normal foot soldiers just drudging along well not
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Chesty not Chesty Pollard he was out there marching and he was not only marching with
his unit but he was in the front. Once during a 28 day combat patrol through New Britain
he refused to allow the native bears to carry his pack you know so they had been stripped
down to the bears essentials and like the men he adhered to this you know monotonous
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diet of K rats. I do not know if these are the same K rats or I think it was T rats that
I ate but rations are typically not that great they get you by but it is not like you are
going to be excited for the meal. So for him in his position of authority to not take advantage
of the perks or benefits that were available to him is a pretty striking thing and a lot
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of leaders even today they will not do that. They want to feel the benefits they want the
privileges they want the perks. I worked for a company that when you got to a certain
level you got to get first class or executive flights whereas your normal guys they would
not get that they had to fly coach. It is a small matter for most people but the reality
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is if you are an executive you are flying a lot more often so it costs a lot more to
pay for those tickets and when you are in a lower level role you might only fly a couple
times a year wouldn't it make sense for everybody to be able to fly the same or maybe get a
little bit of extra leg room themselves. It is this leading by example idea that sets
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him apart. It sets him apart as a leader and an example to how to lead in a real way in
real life. So he also would sleep on the deck or the bare floor refusing to allow the natives
to make him a mattress out of the banana leaves and the legendary stories go on and on from
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there. There is a lot more truth than fiction in the tale of his exploits and that is evidenced
by his massive list of combat decorations for extraordinary valor.
So the second thing was the legend of Chesty Puller. Some say Puller got his famous nickname
because of his big thrust out chest. The myth was that the original had been shot away and
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the new chest was a steel plate. Others state that Chesty was an old marine expression for
being cocky. A few claim that he had developed the chest from shouting commands above the
noise of battle. We don't need frontline communications men that are Puller bragged. Chesty yells
the commands up and down the line you can hear him for miles. I like to believe that
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the nickname Chesty came about because he refused to sit by when things weren't right.
The Cheney Chesty Puller never stopped supporting his marines and that even put at risk his
career in the United States Marine Corps. He stood by his men even when it wasn't politically
advantageous to do so. And this brings me to my next point which is salt prevents corruption.
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In Mark 9 49 through 50 it says for everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good but
if the salt has lost its saltiness how will you make it salty again. Have salt in yourselves
and be at peace with one another. Salt inhibits corruption. The church is meant to restrain
the corrupting influences of the world but also the the corrupting influences within
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the church. The good works of the church are there to rebuke and stand against evil. How
does salt preserve food. Well as a preservative salt can work in two ways. Salt dries food
out like quickly. All living things need water and they cannot grow without it including
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bacteria that can cause food poisoning. So an example in this in this case would be like
butter. You know salt draws out and leaves the fat behind which helps prevent butter
from spoiling. So you can take salted butter you can leave it out unrefrigerated on your
on your counter and it won't spoil because the salt protects it but unsalted butter has
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to be refrigerated or else it will spoil. And the second thing it does is salt kills
the microbes. High salt is toxic to most but not all microbes because of the effect of
water pressure. Water goes between the cells and the environment to make the concentration
of salt and other solutes the same on both sides of the cell. So in a very high salt
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solution many microbes will explode because of the difference in pressure between the
outside and the inside of the organism. High salt can also be toxic to the process inside
the microbes like DNA and enzyme. Solutions that are high in sugar have the same effect
on microbes which is why they can it can be used as a preservative in foods like jams
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and jellies. The idea here with this is that you need high concentrations again. So if
we look at this as a case for Jesus Christ you need to have high concentrations of of
Jesus in your life because that's what's going to help you to remain salty to have the right
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amount of salt in your life to both preserve what you're doing but also kill or hold off
the wickedness of the world the wickedness of our own hearts. You need to preserve your
heart you need a lot of Jesus you need Jesus in your heart and so you need to remain salty.
So Chesty Puller was the most decorated of Marines. He received five Navy Crosses and
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just so you understand the Navy Cross is not something easy to be awarded it's the second
highest award under the you know United States Navy or Marines. The Navy Cross is just below
the Congressional Medal of Honor and he didn't just win one or two or three he was awarded
five Navy Crosses. He led Marines in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II including
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the battle for Guadalcanal and Pellaloo. The names of which forever speak of the Marines
exploiting sacrifices but I want to I want to highlight that the battles Pellaloo these
battles in the island hopping campaign these were horrendous battles where the Marines
would see something like 70 to 80 percent casualties. These were the earliest amphibious
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landings in World War II. So it predates the landing in Normandy and it actually is because
of these landings that the landing in Normandy was even a possibility and they had huge casualties.
So when we were to go and invade Normandy we understood the kind of loss we would suffer
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in that battle but these but who did this this was Chesty Puller who did these bat these
kind of amphibious assaults in these battles of Guadalcanal and Pellaloo. And the Korean
War Puller was again assigned as the commander of the first Marines which he led to the landing
at Incheon on September 15th 1950 earning his Silver Star in the process which is the
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third highest award that a Marine can be given for valor. He was given the distinguished
service cross from the Army for action from November 29th and December 5th of the same
year and his fifth Navy Cross for the action during December 5th through the 10th at the
Battle of Chosen Reservoir. And I might be wrong I mean I might have to double check
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this but I'm pretty sure the distinguished service cross from the Army is their equivalent
to the the Navy Cross for the Navy and the Marines. So again the second highest award
you could be given. It was during the battle of the Chosen Reservoir when he made this
famous quote, we have been looking for the enemy for some time now we have finally found
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him. We're surrounded that simplifies things. And just for context in this battle
the entire US force was surrounded by several divisions of Chinese regulars who came in
from North Korea they came across the Chinese border into North Korea to squash the American
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forces and to send the South Koreans reeling back into the ocean and win the war. So they
were surrounded and Chesty Poehler was able to do what we know in Marine Corps lore as
a fighting retreat and successfully breaking through and being able to pull back and survive
this onslaught that should have been a massacre. So when we look at Chesty Poehler he both
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served as an officer and enlisted man and this might not mean much again if you haven't
served in the military if you don't understand. But Poehler was commissioned as a second lieutenant
during the very tail end of World War I. But as the war wound down he was put on inactive
status and giving the rank of corporal so he was busted down not for anything wrongdoing
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but this is something that typically happened especially back in the day when you'd have
a large number of people in the military during a wartime condition but as the war waned you
had to cut people back and so they would reduce you in rank. Similarly people think of General
Custard but he was actually a lieutenant colonel Custard when he made his last stand because
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the rank of brigadier general was awarded during the Civil War but then subsequently
it was a brevet rank and so he went back down to his regular pre-war rank afterwards. That
being said as the war wound down he was put on that inactive service he's moved to the
rank of corporal so now he's an enlisted guy and in keeping with this hardcore attitude
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he decided to re-enlist as a private so that he could go back onto active duty and he was
sent to Haiti to fight the cacao rebels bent on violent overthrow of the US sponsored Haitian
government at the time. So here you go now he's a non-commissioned officer corporal but
he's an inactive status and because of his desire to serve and his desire to be in the
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military he decided to once again put himself in an even lower rank. So now in today's military
you have nine enlisted ranks it's private is E1 and corporal is E4 and it goes all the
way up to sergeant major at E9 and then right after that is when you get to the O levels
the officer levels and second lieutenant is the O1 level so he goes from an O1 all the
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way down to an E1 basically and just so that he would be able to serve. So his valor and
accomplishments in the battle earned him many rapid promotions and by the time he was shipped
out to Nicaragua in 1930 he was again commissioned as a lieutenant. Polar's legend preceded him
and served him well leading young men his men knew that he had their backs because he
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had pumped through the jungles and endured the harshest of conditions had been wounded
in battle just like them. Our savior Jesus Christ was able to come to earth as a man
live as a man grow up as a man and he was wounded for our transgressions. It's a very
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powerful idea when you think about it and this is one of the reasons why it always pulls
on our heartstrings when we see someone willing to sacrifice and to suffer alongside us. Chesty
Polar was willing to suffer and sacrifice for his men just like our savior suffered
and sacrificed for us. Polar quickly earned the reputation among his superiors as someone
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who didn't abide with the red tape or political maneuvering. Some say that his straightforward
attitude while serving him well in combat and by gaining the respect of his men it caused
him to be passed over for receiving the nation's highest award the Medal of Honor. What do you
think of that? Again it reminds me of our savior because our savior came to earth and
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then he quickly would speak out against the status quo of the religious elite or the political
elite within the government of Judea and the Roman Empire as well. Putting aside that is
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it's a very interesting thing when we think of Chesty Polar. Men like Chesty Polar often
find themselves cast out of the loftiest of political places. When the devil took Jesus
up to the mountain and offered him the world he refused because of the word of God. The
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world is very willing to exclude you when you're not willing to play along or go with
the flow. And so that's part of the reason why the the lore of Chesty Polar is of such
importance especially to enlisted Marines. Because he had our back just like Jesus has
our back today. As Christians we're called to hold God's standard above all else. If
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that makes you less popular then fine. If that makes you less employable or less promotable
then okay. We cannot allow the corruption of the world to influence us or the church.
Many Christian churches today are falling into apostasy as they cling to the trappings
of the world. We are meant to be a bulwark against the world. We are not meant to lose
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our saltiness and become saccharine sweet like the world. This brings me to the final
point which is salt provides a zest and flavor. In Luke 14 34 through 35 it says, salt is
good but if salt has lost its taste how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use
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either for the soil or for the manure pile it is thrown away. The church gives zest and
a distinct flavor to its surroundings. The church is not meant to be the sugar of the
earth but the salt of the earth. As believers we are warned not to lose this savor. Savorless
salts are good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. From our
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text in Matthew 5 13. So let's look at some polarisms. Old breed, new breed. There's not
a darn bit of difference as long as it's the marine breed. Now I have to clean up that
one a little bit because he was a salty marine. But let's think about that for a second. What
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he's saying is old breed, new breed. There's not a darn bit of difference as long as it's
marine breed. So here it is in a Christian sense. Whether you're a new saint, you're
an old saint, whether you're brand new saved and in service of the Lord or you're an old
man who's been pushing through and running a race, it doesn't matter as long as you're
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Christian and you're actually serving Jesus Christ. There's no difference. Keep your saltiness.
Another one is where the hell do you put the bayonet? So he said this while at a flamethrower
demonstration. So apparently, Polar wanted to be ready to stab the man he set on fire.
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These are crazy thoughts because he's a warrior. He's a mindset of, I need to be able to continue
the fight. I need to be able to continue the fight. And I only put this one in because
it's quite salty, but we're meant to be soldiers for Christ. Now I don't think you need to
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be lighting people on fire and stabbing them. But here's the thought. Maybe you are supposed
to use the word of God so that it burns on them with a spirit of conviction. And as you
continue to drive home the word of God, the gospel message of Jesus Christ, it'll pierce
like a bayonet into their heart and they'll receive and accept salvation in Jesus Christ.
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Here's another funny one. Jesse Puller says, son, when the Marine Corps wants you to have
a wife, you will be issued one. This was Puller's response to young Marine who was asking permission
to be married. It's a pretty interesting thing because oftentimes in our society now, it's
all about what we want when we want it. But the reality is, is that it's not about what
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we want when we want it. It's about what God wants us to do and how we can best fulfill
the call of Jesus Christ in our life. So in closing, maintaining our saltiness.
The church is not only the salt to the world, but we're called to keep our saltiness, to
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restrain selfish ambition and quarrelsomeness. Salt is meant to be impactful. Paul seems
to interpret salt to mean wisdom or spiritual zest in communication, speech that is not
dull or bland. In Colossians 4-6, it says, walk in wisdom towards the outsider, making
the best use of time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt so that you
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may know how you ought to answer each person. The church is the light of the world. In Ephesians,
we read, for one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk is
the children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and
true and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works
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of darkness, but instead expose them for it is shameful even to speak of the things that
they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible. For anything
that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says, awake, O sleeper, and arise from
the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Look carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise
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but as wise, making the best use of time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not
be foolish, but understand what will be done, or what will, or what the will of the Lord
is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.
Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
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to the Lord with your heart. Giving thanks always and for everything to God, the Father
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, You are the light of the world, a city that
is set on the hill, cannot be hidden. The figure of the church as light suggests the
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following, believers are children of light and give witness to Christ, who is the true
light of the world. In John A-12 it says, I am the light of the world. Again, Jesus
spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in
darkness but will have the light of life. Believers reflect the light of Christ like
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the light of the moon as Christ shines on us. Ephesians 5-14, for anything that becomes
visible is light, therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead and Christ
will shine on you. And the book of Revelation calls the local church Lampstands, Revelation
120, as for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven
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golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven
lampstands are the seven churches. No matter how blessed we are to minister to one another,
believers must not forget their primary mission is illuminating the darkness of the world.
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In Matthew 5-16 it said, In the same way let your light shine before others so that they
may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. We are called
to shine our light, to be good soldiers for Christ, to be on watch for Jesus Christ. Believers
witness through words and works. In 1 Peter 2-12 it says, Keep your conduct among the
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Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. And then later in James 2-14 and verse 17
it says, What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have
works? Can that faith save him? And in verse 17, so also faith by itself, if it does not
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have works, is dead. So when you think of that, if you have faith but no works, you've
lost your saltiness. It's like being dead. We are called to be both salt and light. The
purpose of both is to bring men and women to the knowledge of Christ so that they can
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find salvation in him. If the whole point is to see others saved, then we cannot placate
the desires of the world. We must act with wisdom and with love, but both of these things
can at times be painful to the hearer. When treating an injury, we often use antiseptic
that can help clean a wound, but it stings. In the process of cleaning a wound, it stings.
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Similarly, salt can sting, and it can seem harsh at times. That is why Jesus pairs the
salt with the light. We bring clarity with the light. The light of Christ reveals the
wounds of sin and the need for treatment. Only in Christ can the wounds of sin be healed.
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Only the wisdom or salt of the word can bring people closer to Christ. We must remain salty,
but we always need to temper that salt with the loving light of Jesus Christ. If I could
ever have bowed every eye closed as I finished this message, my time is up, and so we need
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to bring this to a close. I want to thank you for listening to me today again and for
coming back to the pod fast, but I want to give an invitation. If this message has impacted
you and maybe you know you're not right with Jesus Christ, you're not right with God, maybe
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you've never given your life to Him, but you know you're bound by sin and you want to make
it right. I just want to give you an invitation. If that's you, I want you to raise your hand
wherever you are, wherever you're listening to this message in recognition to the work,
the spirit of conviction that's just pricking your heart right now. If you did that, if
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you raised your hand, I can't see it. Of course, God can. I want you to repeat after me, Dear
Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you sent your son, Jesus Christ,
and that he died for my sins. I repent of my sins and accept you as my Lord and my Savior
in Jesus name. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you've taken that first step in salvation.
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You've been set free of the bondage of sin. You've been washed by the blood of lamb and
you are saved by His grace and His grace alone. The next step would be to find a church to
lock into. If you're in Samanar, please come out. If you did pray that prayer, reach out
to me. We have lots of churches globally. I can help you find a good Bible-believing
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church, but read the Bible. You can get it on a phone. Everybody's got phones now. You
can download the YouVersion app, get any of the decent translations out there.
I personally like the English Standard Version, but I know there's a big King James people
and you know, NIV people. It doesn't matter. Read the Bible and just cry out to God in
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prayer. But I want to thank you again for listening to this message and for those of
us who have been saved for a long time, don't lose your saltiness. Don't let this world
grind you down, but be salt and be light. We are living in a precarious time in our
society today with lots of comings and goings and elections on the horizon in the United
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States and then later in Canada as well. Vote your conscience according to the Word of God.
But remember too, that you're voting for a manager, for a government. You're not voting
for a pastor. Why I say that is none of these people are perfect, but some are clearly,
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clearly in the world. They're clearly trying to live against the will of God. And you need
discernment. You need to read the Word of God. You need to read your Bible and understand
that there is sanctity of life. You know, I'm an American. I live in Canada. We're
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pastoring here in Salmon Arm, but I will be, you know, voting, you know, absentee from
where my home state was, where my family is from in Michigan. But it's in a very important
election. And I think that if you, if you listen to me for any time, I guarantee you
could guess who I'm voting for because I think it's important that we put the right
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guy into position. And it's not to, it's not to say that I think that he's good to
be a pastor, but I do think that God is moving and we all need to do our part in the countries
that we're, we're living in the countries that we're part of. But the biggest thing
here is remember you're Christian first. You're the great commission is for you to
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tell the people of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You should be able to start that conversation
before you go off on any tangents politically or about finances or any of the other stuff
out there. You should be able to dive in and you should be able to tell people that Jesus
sets you free from a life of sin and that you are saved because of the sacrifice of
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Jesus Christ. And with that, I'll just say again, thank you for listening to me today.
I just pray that God will help you the rest of this week and I can't wait for you to come
back next time. God bless.
Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. Be sure to follow
us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep up to date on what we're
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doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.
Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located
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in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship
Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism,
discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church
and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be your
host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing
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to you and bring you closer to God.
Hello and welcome back to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. It's David Bickford here
again. I'm the pastor here and today's message I've put together is called Be Salty, Stay
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Light. The subheading for this would be Preserves, Prevents, Provides. It's a 3P sermon today.
Preserves, Prevents, Provides. If you're going to follow along, the text we're going to be
using today is a jumping off point is Matthew 5 verses 13 through 16. If you've got your
Bible you can go ahead and pull that out and you can dive right in with me as we jump off.
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So five reasons why Chesty Puller is a Marine Corps legend. So if you've been listening
for a while you'll know that I was United States Marine and I was an air winger so that
means that I served with the Air Force version of the Marine Corps if you will. So I was
a helicopter crew chief. I worked on helicopters but in the United States Marine Corps. A lot
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of people don't realize the United States Marine Corps is its own military if you will.
We are a department of the Navy yes and so we use their ships but we actually have our
own landing craft. So we have some smaller vessels that we use to launch off to take
beachheads from the Navy. We come to shore and we're able to set up on the shore our
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own entire military and we can hold that beachhead ideally for a 90-day period of time which
allows the US Army to be able to mobilize and get there for a longer drawn out battle.
We have our own tank divisions, we have our own artillery divisions, we have our own infantry
divisions and we have our own aviation divisions. So our own F-18s and Harrier Jump Jets at
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least from the time when I was there. They have the Ospreys now and the CH-46 Frogs and
CH-53 Super Stallions which I was honored to be able to serve on during my time in the
Corps. And in that time one of the things that you come to realize very quickly as United
States Marine is that Chesty Polar is and was the man. He is somebody that exemplifies
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what it is to be a Marine back in his day and today as well. So Lieutenant General Louis
Chesty Polar, Chesty was his nickname, was a Marine's Marine, a bonafide hardcore leatherneck
with the scars to prove it but Chesty had one soft spot. His fierce loyalty and care
for his men, Polar's leadership is one of the reasons why to this day Marine Corps officers
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in the field never eat a meal until the enlisted men have been served. It's one of those things
within the military that helps build our esprit de corps, our bondage, or not bondage but
like our bond to serve together is because of people and men and leaders like Chesty
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Polar. So Chesty Polar, he has become a myth of a man in the United States Marine Corps
and beyond. His service to the Corps exemplifies what it means to be salty. He served as an
enlisted man and then he became an officer. He served from 1918 until 1955 just missing
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World War I but he went on and he fought in the Banana Wars or the South American Wars
and World War II and the Korean War as well. His exploits are too numerous to go into for
the time that we have today for this message but he is the most decorated Marine in all
of the United States Marine Corps history and he'll likely remain in that place of
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honor for a very long time if not forever. He was born June 26, 1898 in West Point, Virginia.
Polar grew up hunting and listening to tales of Civil War veterans told by his relatives
and he also had a heavy appetite for reading pouring through countless books of military
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history and military stories. He'd go on to become a well-known figure in Marine Corps
folklore as I said but he and this is both with exaggerated tales of his exploits but
also his experiences that we all can recount in Marine Corps history. So we're going to
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look at today for this message our call to be the salt and the light to the world and
this is a command to us from Jesus and as we move through the scripture I want to highlight
why we need to be salty and why we must remain the light. Let's look at our text in Matthew
5 13 through 16. Salt and light. You are to be the salt of the earth but if salt has lost
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its taste how shall its saltiness be restored it is no longer good for anything except to
be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. If you are the light of the world a
city set on a hill cannot be hidden. I misspoke that so you are the light of the world a city
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set on a hill cannot be hidden nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket but
on a stand and it gives light to the all in the house in the same way let your light shine
before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is
in heaven. So let's pray dear Lord God I pray that you would use this message to speak into
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people's hearts wherever they be and to help them to turn to you so that they can be redeemed
and set free but also that they could remain salty and be a light unto this fallen world
amen. So what did Jesus mean when he said you are the salt of the earth the following
application shows us that salt means to preserve prevent corruption and provide slavery. The
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power of the Sermon on the Mount is that our Savior Jesus Christ has always been willing
to lead by example. The Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew 5 chapter 5 through 7
and it's broken down into three main parts. You have the introduction or the kingdom identity.
You have the main body which is a picture of a greater righteousness within the kingdom
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of God and then you have the third portion the conclusion which is the choice that we
all have to come to. So the second section is broken down even further into three parts
you have the Torah and the prophets religious practices and the right relationship with
God so our text this morning is from the first part. Jesus introduces us to his kingdom the
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introduction announces the surprising counterintuitive identity of those who are going to be part
of God's kingdom. Matthew begins with the introduction in chapter 5 with the Beatitudes those who
are called to the kingdom of God the poor in spirit the grievers the unimportant the
hungry the merciful the pure in heart the peacemakers the persecuted the misunderstood
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the lowly are the ones that our Lord calls upon. We're called to be the salt of the land
we are called to carry on the covenant of God to its fulfillment through Christ and
in Matthew 5 14 we are told that we are meant to be the light in the fallen world. So as
we work through this message today we'll focus on being salty as Christ commanded and in
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doing so we will look at the saltiness of Chesty Polar the saltiest of all salty US
Marines. Here are five reasons why Polar became a Marine Corps legend. Lead by example is
the first one lead like a Marine. The number the second one is the legend of Chesty the
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third is that he's the most decorated Marine. The fourth is served is that he served both
as an officer and enlisted and fifth and final we'll look at some polarisms is in Chesty
polar polarisms. So let's get in salt preserves the church preserves and reinforces the qualities
of goodness honor justice and mercy in society. Salt has been used as a food safety aid since
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ancient times while salt helps to preserve food by reducing the water content and disrupting
microbial cells it can take a very high concentration of salt around 10 percent or more to prevent
that bacterial growth much higher than that is what is found in the food that we eat.
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So if you think of like salted foods foods that are going to be used in this manner rather
preserved in this manner you can think of like beet jerkier pickles or smoked salmon.
These are kind of things that are used with the preservation of salt these are foods of
the old before refrigeration. So to preserve our saltiness we must live according to the
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example of Christ. We have to keep the percentage or the concentration of Jesus in our life
high enough so that we can remain salty as he says. Jesus is king but he came to earth
as a servant he led us by example and that example exemplifies you know what we are supposed
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to do and how we are supposed to lead when we are here on earth. So lead like a mariner
lead by example this one of Pollard's mottoes was lead by example and it is not an empty
slogan in his life he lived with his men there were no officers messes in Pollard's units
and he fell into line with the privates carrying his own mess gear in combat he rigidly refused
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the comforts unattainable for his men and in training he carried his own pack and bedding
roll while marching at the head of his battalion. This is something that is hard for many to
understand maybe if they have not served in the military they do not quite understand
this. When you are marching when you are in a forced march and you see like a leader you
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see somebody who is going to take you know pull ahead or take a ride that is a pretty
demoralizing thing when you are drudging through you might have seen or heard stuff like that
from other movies or stories where you have like the knights that are coming across in
their you know on their horses while the normal foot soldiers just drudging along well not
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Chesty not Chesty Pollard he was out there marching and he was not only marching with
his unit but he was in the front. Once during a 28 day combat patrol through New Britain
he refused to allow the native bears to carry his pack you know so they had been stripped
down to the bears essentials and like the men he adhered to this you know monotonous
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diet of K rats. I do not know if these are the same K rats or I think it was T rats that
I ate but rations are typically not that great they get you by but it is not like you are
going to be excited for the meal. So for him in his position of authority to not take advantage
of the perks or benefits that were available to him is a pretty striking thing and a lot
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of leaders even today they will not do that. They want to feel the benefits they want the
privileges they want the perks. I worked for a company that when you got to a certain
level you got to get first class or executive flights whereas your normal guys they would
not get that they had to fly coach. It is a small matter for most people but the reality
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is if you are an executive you are flying a lot more often so it costs a lot more to
pay for those tickets and when you are in a lower level role you might only fly a couple
times a year wouldn't it make sense for everybody to be able to fly the same or maybe get a
little bit of extra leg room themselves. It is this leading by example idea that sets
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him apart. It sets him apart as a leader and an example to how to lead in a real way in
real life. So he also would sleep on the deck or the bare floor refusing to allow the natives
to make him a mattress out of the banana leaves and the legendary stories go on and on from
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there. There is a lot more truth than fiction in the tale of his exploits and that is evidenced
by his massive list of combat decorations for extraordinary valor.
So the second thing was the legend of Chesty Puller. Some say Puller got his famous nickname
because of his big thrust out chest. The myth was that the original had been shot away and
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the new chest was a steel plate. Others state that Chesty was an old marine expression for
being cocky. A few claim that he had developed the chest from shouting commands above the
noise of battle. We don't need frontline communications men that are Puller bragged. Chesty yells
the commands up and down the line you can hear him for miles. I like to believe that
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the nickname Chesty came about because he refused to sit by when things weren't right.
The Cheney Chesty Puller never stopped supporting his marines and that even put at risk his
career in the United States Marine Corps. He stood by his men even when it wasn't politically
advantageous to do so. And this brings me to my next point which is salt prevents corruption.
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In Mark 9 49 through 50 it says for everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good but
if the salt has lost its saltiness how will you make it salty again. Have salt in yourselves
and be at peace with one another. Salt inhibits corruption. The church is meant to restrain
the corrupting influences of the world but also the the corrupting influences within
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the church. The good works of the church are there to rebuke and stand against evil. How
does salt preserve food. Well as a preservative salt can work in two ways. Salt dries food
out like quickly. All living things need water and they cannot grow without it including
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bacteria that can cause food poisoning. So an example in this in this case would be like
butter. You know salt draws out and leaves the fat behind which helps prevent butter
from spoiling. So you can take salted butter you can leave it out unrefrigerated on your
on your counter and it won't spoil because the salt protects it but unsalted butter has
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to be refrigerated or else it will spoil. And the second thing it does is salt kills
the microbes. High salt is toxic to most but not all microbes because of the effect of
water pressure. Water goes between the cells and the environment to make the concentration
of salt and other solutes the same on both sides of the cell. So in a very high salt
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solution many microbes will explode because of the difference in pressure between the
outside and the inside of the organism. High salt can also be toxic to the process inside
the microbes like DNA and enzyme. Solutions that are high in sugar have the same effect
on microbes which is why they can it can be used as a preservative in foods like jams
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and jellies. The idea here with this is that you need high concentrations again. So if
we look at this as a case for Jesus Christ you need to have high concentrations of of
Jesus in your life because that's what's going to help you to remain salty to have the right
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amount of salt in your life to both preserve what you're doing but also kill or hold off
the wickedness of the world the wickedness of our own hearts. You need to preserve your
heart you need a lot of Jesus you need Jesus in your heart and so you need to remain salty.
So Chesty Puller was the most decorated of Marines. He received five Navy Crosses and
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just so you understand the Navy Cross is not something easy to be awarded it's the second
highest award under the you know United States Navy or Marines. The Navy Cross is just below
the Congressional Medal of Honor and he didn't just win one or two or three he was awarded
five Navy Crosses. He led Marines in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II including
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the battle for Guadalcanal and Pellaloo. The names of which forever speak of the Marines
exploiting sacrifices but I want to I want to highlight that the battles Pellaloo these
battles in the island hopping campaign these were horrendous battles where the Marines
would see something like 70 to 80 percent casualties. These were the earliest amphibious
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landings in World War II. So it predates the landing in Normandy and it actually is because
of these landings that the landing in Normandy was even a possibility and they had huge casualties.
So when we were to go and invade Normandy we understood the kind of loss we would suffer
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in that battle but these but who did this this was Chesty Puller who did these bat these
kind of amphibious assaults in these battles of Guadalcanal and Pellaloo. And the Korean
War Puller was again assigned as the commander of the first Marines which he led to the landing
at Incheon on September 15th 1950 earning his Silver Star in the process which is the
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third highest award that a Marine can be given for valor. He was given the distinguished
service cross from the Army for action from November 29th and December 5th of the same
year and his fifth Navy Cross for the action during December 5th through the 10th at the
Battle of Chosen Reservoir. And I might be wrong I mean I might have to double check
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this but I'm pretty sure the distinguished service cross from the Army is their equivalent
to the the Navy Cross for the Navy and the Marines. So again the second highest award
you could be given. It was during the battle of the Chosen Reservoir when he made this
famous quote, we have been looking for the enemy for some time now we have finally found
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him. We're surrounded that simplifies things. And just for context in this battle
the entire US force was surrounded by several divisions of Chinese regulars who came in
from North Korea they came across the Chinese border into North Korea to squash the American
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forces and to send the South Koreans reeling back into the ocean and win the war. So they
were surrounded and Chesty Poehler was able to do what we know in Marine Corps lore as
a fighting retreat and successfully breaking through and being able to pull back and survive
this onslaught that should have been a massacre. So when we look at Chesty Poehler he both
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served as an officer and enlisted man and this might not mean much again if you haven't
served in the military if you don't understand. But Poehler was commissioned as a second lieutenant
during the very tail end of World War I. But as the war wound down he was put on inactive
status and giving the rank of corporal so he was busted down not for anything wrongdoing
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but this is something that typically happened especially back in the day when you'd have
a large number of people in the military during a wartime condition but as the war waned you
had to cut people back and so they would reduce you in rank. Similarly people think of General
Custard but he was actually a lieutenant colonel Custard when he made his last stand because
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the rank of brigadier general was awarded during the Civil War but then subsequently
it was a brevet rank and so he went back down to his regular pre-war rank afterwards. That
being said as the war wound down he was put on that inactive service he's moved to the
rank of corporal so now he's an enlisted guy and in keeping with this hardcore attitude
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he decided to re-enlist as a private so that he could go back onto active duty and he was
sent to Haiti to fight the cacao rebels bent on violent overthrow of the US sponsored Haitian
government at the time. So here you go now he's a non-commissioned officer corporal but
he's an inactive status and because of his desire to serve and his desire to be in the
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military he decided to once again put himself in an even lower rank. So now in today's military
you have nine enlisted ranks it's private is E1 and corporal is E4 and it goes all the
way up to sergeant major at E9 and then right after that is when you get to the O levels
the officer levels and second lieutenant is the O1 level so he goes from an O1 all the
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way down to an E1 basically and just so that he would be able to serve. So his valor and
accomplishments in the battle earned him many rapid promotions and by the time he was shipped
out to Nicaragua in 1930 he was again commissioned as a lieutenant. Polar's legend preceded him
and served him well leading young men his men knew that he had their backs because he
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had pumped through the jungles and endured the harshest of conditions had been wounded
in battle just like them. Our savior Jesus Christ was able to come to earth as a man
live as a man grow up as a man and he was wounded for our transgressions. It's a very
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powerful idea when you think about it and this is one of the reasons why it always pulls
on our heartstrings when we see someone willing to sacrifice and to suffer alongside us. Chesty
Polar was willing to suffer and sacrifice for his men just like our savior suffered
and sacrificed for us. Polar quickly earned the reputation among his superiors as someone
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who didn't abide with the red tape or political maneuvering. Some say that his straightforward
attitude while serving him well in combat and by gaining the respect of his men it caused
him to be passed over for receiving the nation's highest award the Medal of Honor. What do you
think of that? Again it reminds me of our savior because our savior came to earth and
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then he quickly would speak out against the status quo of the religious elite or the political
elite within the government of Judea and the Roman Empire as well. Putting aside that is
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it's a very interesting thing when we think of Chesty Polar. Men like Chesty Polar often
find themselves cast out of the loftiest of political places. When the devil took Jesus
up to the mountain and offered him the world he refused because of the word of God. The
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world is very willing to exclude you when you're not willing to play along or go with
the flow. And so that's part of the reason why the the lore of Chesty Polar is of such
importance especially to enlisted Marines. Because he had our back just like Jesus has
our back today. As Christians we're called to hold God's standard above all else. If
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that makes you less popular then fine. If that makes you less employable or less promotable
then okay. We cannot allow the corruption of the world to influence us or the church.
Many Christian churches today are falling into apostasy as they cling to the trappings
of the world. We are meant to be a bulwark against the world. We are not meant to lose
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our saltiness and become saccharine sweet like the world. This brings me to the final
point which is salt provides a zest and flavor. In Luke 14 34 through 35 it says, salt is
good but if salt has lost its taste how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use
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either for the soil or for the manure pile it is thrown away. The church gives zest and
a distinct flavor to its surroundings. The church is not meant to be the sugar of the
earth but the salt of the earth. As believers we are warned not to lose this savor. Savorless
salts are good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. From our
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text in Matthew 5 13. So let's look at some polarisms. Old breed, new breed. There's not
a darn bit of difference as long as it's the marine breed. Now I have to clean up that
one a little bit because he was a salty marine. But let's think about that for a second. What
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he's saying is old breed, new breed. There's not a darn bit of difference as long as it's
marine breed. So here it is in a Christian sense. Whether you're a new saint, you're
an old saint, whether you're brand new saved and in service of the Lord or you're an old
man who's been pushing through and running a race, it doesn't matter as long as you're
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Christian and you're actually serving Jesus Christ. There's no difference. Keep your saltiness.
Another one is where the hell do you put the bayonet? So he said this while at a flamethrower
demonstration. So apparently, Polar wanted to be ready to stab the man he set on fire.
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These are crazy thoughts because he's a warrior. He's a mindset of, I need to be able to continue
the fight. I need to be able to continue the fight. And I only put this one in because
it's quite salty, but we're meant to be soldiers for Christ. Now I don't think you need to
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be lighting people on fire and stabbing them. But here's the thought. Maybe you are supposed
to use the word of God so that it burns on them with a spirit of conviction. And as you
continue to drive home the word of God, the gospel message of Jesus Christ, it'll pierce
like a bayonet into their heart and they'll receive and accept salvation in Jesus Christ.
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Here's another funny one. Jesse Puller says, son, when the Marine Corps wants you to have
a wife, you will be issued one. This was Puller's response to young Marine who was asking permission
to be married. It's a pretty interesting thing because oftentimes in our society now, it's
all about what we want when we want it. But the reality is, is that it's not about what
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we want when we want it. It's about what God wants us to do and how we can best fulfill
the call of Jesus Christ in our life. So in closing, maintaining our saltiness.
The church is not only the salt to the world, but we're called to keep our saltiness, to
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restrain selfish ambition and quarrelsomeness. Salt is meant to be impactful. Paul seems
to interpret salt to mean wisdom or spiritual zest in communication, speech that is not
dull or bland. In Colossians 4-6, it says, walk in wisdom towards the outsider, making
the best use of time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt so that you
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may know how you ought to answer each person. The church is the light of the world. In Ephesians,
we read, for one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk is
the children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and
true and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works
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of darkness, but instead expose them for it is shameful even to speak of the things that
they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible. For anything
that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says, awake, O sleeper, and arise from
the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Look carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise
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but as wise, making the best use of time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not
be foolish, but understand what will be done, or what will, or what the will of the Lord
is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.
Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody
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to the Lord with your heart. Giving thanks always and for everything to God, the Father
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, You are the light of the world, a city that
is set on the hill, cannot be hidden. The figure of the church as light suggests the
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following, believers are children of light and give witness to Christ, who is the true
light of the world. In John A-12 it says, I am the light of the world. Again, Jesus
spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in
darkness but will have the light of life. Believers reflect the light of Christ like
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the light of the moon as Christ shines on us. Ephesians 5-14, for anything that becomes
visible is light, therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead and Christ
will shine on you. And the book of Revelation calls the local church Lampstands, Revelation
120, as for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven
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golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven
lampstands are the seven churches. No matter how blessed we are to minister to one another,
believers must not forget their primary mission is illuminating the darkness of the world.
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In Matthew 5-16 it said, In the same way let your light shine before others so that they
may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. We are called
to shine our light, to be good soldiers for Christ, to be on watch for Jesus Christ. Believers
witness through words and works. In 1 Peter 2-12 it says, Keep your conduct among the
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Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers they may see your
good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. And then later in James 2-14 and verse 17
it says, What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have
works? Can that faith save him? And in verse 17, so also faith by itself, if it does not
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have works, is dead. So when you think of that, if you have faith but no works, you've
lost your saltiness. It's like being dead. We are called to be both salt and light. The
purpose of both is to bring men and women to the knowledge of Christ so that they can
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find salvation in him. If the whole point is to see others saved, then we cannot placate
the desires of the world. We must act with wisdom and with love, but both of these things
can at times be painful to the hearer. When treating an injury, we often use antiseptic
that can help clean a wound, but it stings. In the process of cleaning a wound, it stings.
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Similarly, salt can sting, and it can seem harsh at times. That is why Jesus pairs the
salt with the light. We bring clarity with the light. The light of Christ reveals the
wounds of sin and the need for treatment. Only in Christ can the wounds of sin be healed.
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Only the wisdom or salt of the word can bring people closer to Christ. We must remain salty,
but we always need to temper that salt with the loving light of Jesus Christ. If I could
ever have bowed every eye closed as I finished this message, my time is up, and so we need
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to bring this to a close. I want to thank you for listening to me today again and for
coming back to the pod fast, but I want to give an invitation. If this message has impacted
you and maybe you know you're not right with Jesus Christ, you're not right with God, maybe
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you've never given your life to Him, but you know you're bound by sin and you want to make
it right. I just want to give you an invitation. If that's you, I want you to raise your hand
wherever you are, wherever you're listening to this message in recognition to the work,
the spirit of conviction that's just pricking your heart right now. If you did that, if
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you raised your hand, I can't see it. Of course, God can. I want you to repeat after me, Dear
Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you sent your son, Jesus Christ,
and that he died for my sins. I repent of my sins and accept you as my Lord and my Savior
in Jesus name. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you've taken that first step in salvation.
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You've been set free of the bondage of sin. You've been washed by the blood of lamb and
you are saved by His grace and His grace alone. The next step would be to find a church to
lock into. If you're in Samanar, please come out. If you did pray that prayer, reach out
to me. We have lots of churches globally. I can help you find a good Bible-believing
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church, but read the Bible. You can get it on a phone. Everybody's got phones now. You
can download the YouVersion app, get any of the decent translations out there.
I personally like the English Standard Version, but I know there's a big King James people
and you know, NIV people. It doesn't matter. Read the Bible and just cry out to God in
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prayer. But I want to thank you again for listening to this message and for those of
us who have been saved for a long time, don't lose your saltiness. Don't let this world
grind you down, but be salt and be light. We are living in a precarious time in our
society today with lots of comings and goings and elections on the horizon in the United
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States and then later in Canada as well. Vote your conscience according to the Word of God.
But remember too, that you're voting for a manager, for a government. You're not voting
for a pastor. Why I say that is none of these people are perfect, but some are clearly,
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clearly in the world. They're clearly trying to live against the will of God. And you need
discernment. You need to read the Word of God. You need to read your Bible and understand
that there is sanctity of life. You know, I'm an American. I live in Canada. We're
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pastoring here in Salmon Arm, but I will be, you know, voting, you know, absentee from
where my home state was, where my family is from in Michigan. But it's in a very important
election. And I think that if you, if you listen to me for any time, I guarantee you
could guess who I'm voting for because I think it's important that we put the right
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guy into position. And it's not to, it's not to say that I think that he's good to
be a pastor, but I do think that God is moving and we all need to do our part in the countries
that we're, we're living in the countries that we're part of. But the biggest thing
here is remember you're Christian first. You're the great commission is for you to
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tell the people of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You should be able to start that conversation
before you go off on any tangents politically or about finances or any of the other stuff
out there. You should be able to dive in and you should be able to tell people that Jesus
sets you free from a life of sin and that you are saved because of the sacrifice of
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Jesus Christ. And with that, I'll just say again, thank you for listening to me today.
I just pray that God will help you the rest of this week and I can't wait for you to come
back next time. God bless.
Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. Be sure to follow
us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep up to date on what we're
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doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.
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