1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:12,440 Welcome to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. We are a Bible-Believing Church located 2 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:16,680 in beautiful British Columbia, Canada. We are proudly part of the Christian Fellowship 3 00:00:16,680 --> 00:00:21,920 Ministries with 3,000 churches around the world. We are a church focused on world evangelism, 4 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:27,300 discipleship and church planting. Here we will share recent sermons from P.H.S.A. Church 5 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:31,880 and other sermons from throughout our fellowship. I am Pastor David Bickford and I will be your 6 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:36,420 host for this podcast. I thank you for listening today and we hope these messages are a blessing 7 00:00:36,420 --> 00:00:42,480 to you and bring you closer to God. 8 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:52,200 Hello and welcome back to the Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. It's David Bickford here 9 00:00:52,200 --> 00:00:58,600 again. I'm the pastor here and today's message I've put together is called Be Salty, Stay 10 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:08,240 Light. The subheading for this would be Preserves, Prevents, Provides. It's a 3P sermon today. 11 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:12,000 Preserves, Prevents, Provides. If you're going to follow along, the text we're going to be 12 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:18,320 using today is a jumping off point is Matthew 5 verses 13 through 16. If you've got your 13 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:27,040 Bible you can go ahead and pull that out and you can dive right in with me as we jump off. 14 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:35,200 So five reasons why Chesty Puller is a Marine Corps legend. So if you've been listening 15 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:40,500 for a while you'll know that I was United States Marine and I was an air winger so that 16 00:01:40,500 --> 00:01:46,880 means that I served with the Air Force version of the Marine Corps if you will. So I was 17 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:52,360 a helicopter crew chief. I worked on helicopters but in the United States Marine Corps. A lot 18 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:59,520 of people don't realize the United States Marine Corps is its own military if you will. 19 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:04,160 We are a department of the Navy yes and so we use their ships but we actually have our 20 00:02:04,160 --> 00:02:09,840 own landing craft. So we have some smaller vessels that we use to launch off to take 21 00:02:09,840 --> 00:02:18,160 beachheads from the Navy. We come to shore and we're able to set up on the shore our 22 00:02:18,160 --> 00:02:25,800 own entire military and we can hold that beachhead ideally for a 90-day period of time which 23 00:02:25,800 --> 00:02:32,160 allows the US Army to be able to mobilize and get there for a longer drawn out battle. 24 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:36,520 We have our own tank divisions, we have our own artillery divisions, we have our own infantry 25 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:43,480 divisions and we have our own aviation divisions. So our own F-18s and Harrier Jump Jets at 26 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:49,400 least from the time when I was there. They have the Ospreys now and the CH-46 Frogs and 27 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:57,200 CH-53 Super Stallions which I was honored to be able to serve on during my time in the 28 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:03,040 Corps. And in that time one of the things that you come to realize very quickly as United 29 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:12,280 States Marine is that Chesty Polar is and was the man. He is somebody that exemplifies 30 00:03:12,280 --> 00:03:19,060 what it is to be a Marine back in his day and today as well. So Lieutenant General Louis 31 00:03:19,060 --> 00:03:26,040 Chesty Polar, Chesty was his nickname, was a Marine's Marine, a bonafide hardcore leatherneck 32 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:32,120 with the scars to prove it but Chesty had one soft spot. His fierce loyalty and care 33 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:37,080 for his men, Polar's leadership is one of the reasons why to this day Marine Corps officers 34 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:45,640 in the field never eat a meal until the enlisted men have been served. It's one of those things 35 00:03:45,640 --> 00:03:51,280 within the military that helps build our esprit de corps, our bondage, or not bondage but 36 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:58,360 like our bond to serve together is because of people and men and leaders like Chesty 37 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:06,200 Polar. So Chesty Polar, he has become a myth of a man in the United States Marine Corps 38 00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:12,800 and beyond. His service to the Corps exemplifies what it means to be salty. He served as an 39 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:20,840 enlisted man and then he became an officer. He served from 1918 until 1955 just missing 40 00:04:20,840 --> 00:04:26,320 World War I but he went on and he fought in the Banana Wars or the South American Wars 41 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:33,720 and World War II and the Korean War as well. His exploits are too numerous to go into for 42 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:38,960 the time that we have today for this message but he is the most decorated Marine in all 43 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,920 of the United States Marine Corps history and he'll likely remain in that place of 44 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:51,560 honor for a very long time if not forever. He was born June 26, 1898 in West Point, Virginia. 45 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:58,720 Polar grew up hunting and listening to tales of Civil War veterans told by his relatives 46 00:04:58,720 --> 00:05:03,320 and he also had a heavy appetite for reading pouring through countless books of military 47 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:08,680 history and military stories. He'd go on to become a well-known figure in Marine Corps 48 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:16,120 folklore as I said but he and this is both with exaggerated tales of his exploits but 49 00:05:16,120 --> 00:05:23,440 also his experiences that we all can recount in Marine Corps history. So we're going to 50 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:31,760 look at today for this message our call to be the salt and the light to the world and 51 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,920 this is a command to us from Jesus and as we move through the scripture I want to highlight 52 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:42,760 why we need to be salty and why we must remain the light. Let's look at our text in Matthew 53 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:49,800 5 13 through 16. Salt and light. You are to be the salt of the earth but if salt has lost 54 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:55,520 its taste how shall its saltiness be restored it is no longer good for anything except to 55 00:05:55,520 --> 00:06:01,280 be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. If you are the light of the world a 56 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:09,860 city set on a hill cannot be hidden. I misspoke that so you are the light of the world a city 57 00:06:09,860 --> 00:06:17,520 set on a hill cannot be hidden nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket but 58 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:22,800 on a stand and it gives light to the all in the house in the same way let your light shine 59 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:28,240 before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is 60 00:06:28,240 --> 00:06:35,200 in heaven. So let's pray dear Lord God I pray that you would use this message to speak into 61 00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:42,320 people's hearts wherever they be and to help them to turn to you so that they can be redeemed 62 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:48,640 and set free but also that they could remain salty and be a light unto this fallen world 63 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:54,640 amen. So what did Jesus mean when he said you are the salt of the earth the following 64 00:06:54,640 --> 00:07:01,520 application shows us that salt means to preserve prevent corruption and provide slavery. The 65 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:05,680 power of the Sermon on the Mount is that our Savior Jesus Christ has always been willing 66 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:14,040 to lead by example. The Sermon on the Mount is found in Matthew 5 chapter 5 through 7 67 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:20,680 and it's broken down into three main parts. You have the introduction or the kingdom identity. 68 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:24,960 You have the main body which is a picture of a greater righteousness within the kingdom 69 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:29,520 of God and then you have the third portion the conclusion which is the choice that we 70 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:35,080 all have to come to. So the second section is broken down even further into three parts 71 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:39,600 you have the Torah and the prophets religious practices and the right relationship with 72 00:07:39,600 --> 00:07:46,900 God so our text this morning is from the first part. Jesus introduces us to his kingdom the 73 00:07:46,900 --> 00:07:52,340 introduction announces the surprising counterintuitive identity of those who are going to be part 74 00:07:52,340 --> 00:07:58,760 of God's kingdom. Matthew begins with the introduction in chapter 5 with the Beatitudes those who 75 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:03,440 are called to the kingdom of God the poor in spirit the grievers the unimportant the 76 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:08,960 hungry the merciful the pure in heart the peacemakers the persecuted the misunderstood 77 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:15,960 the lowly are the ones that our Lord calls upon. We're called to be the salt of the land 78 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:21,920 we are called to carry on the covenant of God to its fulfillment through Christ and 79 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:28,360 in Matthew 5 14 we are told that we are meant to be the light in the fallen world. So as 80 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:34,480 we work through this message today we'll focus on being salty as Christ commanded and in 81 00:08:34,480 --> 00:08:40,560 doing so we will look at the saltiness of Chesty Polar the saltiest of all salty US 82 00:08:40,560 --> 00:08:48,400 Marines. Here are five reasons why Polar became a Marine Corps legend. Lead by example is 83 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:57,440 the first one lead like a Marine. The number the second one is the legend of Chesty the 84 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:03,080 third is that he's the most decorated Marine. The fourth is served is that he served both 85 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:09,240 as an officer and enlisted and fifth and final we'll look at some polarisms is in Chesty 86 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:17,000 polar polarisms. So let's get in salt preserves the church preserves and reinforces the qualities 87 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:24,140 of goodness honor justice and mercy in society. Salt has been used as a food safety aid since 88 00:09:24,140 --> 00:09:31,160 ancient times while salt helps to preserve food by reducing the water content and disrupting 89 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:38,080 microbial cells it can take a very high concentration of salt around 10 percent or more to prevent 90 00:09:38,080 --> 00:09:46,900 that bacterial growth much higher than that is what is found in the food that we eat. 91 00:09:46,900 --> 00:09:54,860 So if you think of like salted foods foods that are going to be used in this manner rather 92 00:09:54,860 --> 00:09:59,600 preserved in this manner you can think of like beet jerkier pickles or smoked salmon. 93 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,880 These are kind of things that are used with the preservation of salt these are foods of 94 00:10:02,880 --> 00:10:09,280 the old before refrigeration. So to preserve our saltiness we must live according to the 95 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:20,080 example of Christ. We have to keep the percentage or the concentration of Jesus in our life 96 00:10:20,080 --> 00:10:27,560 high enough so that we can remain salty as he says. Jesus is king but he came to earth 97 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:36,140 as a servant he led us by example and that example exemplifies you know what we are supposed 98 00:10:36,140 --> 00:10:41,840 to do and how we are supposed to lead when we are here on earth. So lead like a mariner 99 00:10:41,840 --> 00:10:47,780 lead by example this one of Pollard's mottoes was lead by example and it is not an empty 100 00:10:47,780 --> 00:10:55,760 slogan in his life he lived with his men there were no officers messes in Pollard's units 101 00:10:55,760 --> 00:11:02,180 and he fell into line with the privates carrying his own mess gear in combat he rigidly refused 102 00:11:02,180 --> 00:11:07,140 the comforts unattainable for his men and in training he carried his own pack and bedding 103 00:11:07,140 --> 00:11:12,280 roll while marching at the head of his battalion. This is something that is hard for many to 104 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:16,480 understand maybe if they have not served in the military they do not quite understand 105 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:23,200 this. When you are marching when you are in a forced march and you see like a leader you 106 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:28,920 see somebody who is going to take you know pull ahead or take a ride that is a pretty 107 00:11:28,920 --> 00:11:33,320 demoralizing thing when you are drudging through you might have seen or heard stuff like that 108 00:11:33,320 --> 00:11:41,320 from other movies or stories where you have like the knights that are coming across in 109 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:48,440 their you know on their horses while the normal foot soldiers just drudging along well not 110 00:11:48,440 --> 00:11:54,240 Chesty not Chesty Pollard he was out there marching and he was not only marching with 111 00:11:54,240 --> 00:11:59,840 his unit but he was in the front. Once during a 28 day combat patrol through New Britain 112 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:06,640 he refused to allow the native bears to carry his pack you know so they had been stripped 113 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:13,040 down to the bears essentials and like the men he adhered to this you know monotonous 114 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:18,360 diet of K rats. I do not know if these are the same K rats or I think it was T rats that 115 00:12:18,360 --> 00:12:24,640 I ate but rations are typically not that great they get you by but it is not like you are 116 00:12:24,640 --> 00:12:30,520 going to be excited for the meal. So for him in his position of authority to not take advantage 117 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:38,580 of the perks or benefits that were available to him is a pretty striking thing and a lot 118 00:12:38,580 --> 00:12:43,960 of leaders even today they will not do that. They want to feel the benefits they want the 119 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:48,160 privileges they want the perks. I worked for a company that when you got to a certain 120 00:12:48,160 --> 00:12:54,680 level you got to get first class or executive flights whereas your normal guys they would 121 00:12:54,680 --> 00:13:03,400 not get that they had to fly coach. It is a small matter for most people but the reality 122 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:09,440 is if you are an executive you are flying a lot more often so it costs a lot more to 123 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:14,100 pay for those tickets and when you are in a lower level role you might only fly a couple 124 00:13:14,100 --> 00:13:20,040 times a year wouldn't it make sense for everybody to be able to fly the same or maybe get a 125 00:13:20,040 --> 00:13:25,080 little bit of extra leg room themselves. It is this leading by example idea that sets 126 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:35,040 him apart. It sets him apart as a leader and an example to how to lead in a real way in 127 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:42,120 real life. So he also would sleep on the deck or the bare floor refusing to allow the natives 128 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:46,600 to make him a mattress out of the banana leaves and the legendary stories go on and on from 129 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:52,880 there. There is a lot more truth than fiction in the tale of his exploits and that is evidenced 130 00:13:52,880 --> 00:13:57,960 by his massive list of combat decorations for extraordinary valor. 131 00:13:57,960 --> 00:14:02,460 So the second thing was the legend of Chesty Puller. Some say Puller got his famous nickname 132 00:14:02,460 --> 00:14:09,600 because of his big thrust out chest. The myth was that the original had been shot away and 133 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:15,560 the new chest was a steel plate. Others state that Chesty was an old marine expression for 134 00:14:15,560 --> 00:14:20,240 being cocky. A few claim that he had developed the chest from shouting commands above the 135 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:25,940 noise of battle. We don't need frontline communications men that are Puller bragged. Chesty yells 136 00:14:25,940 --> 00:14:32,120 the commands up and down the line you can hear him for miles. I like to believe that 137 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:37,240 the nickname Chesty came about because he refused to sit by when things weren't right. 138 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:43,520 The Cheney Chesty Puller never stopped supporting his marines and that even put at risk his 139 00:14:43,520 --> 00:14:50,300 career in the United States Marine Corps. He stood by his men even when it wasn't politically 140 00:14:50,300 --> 00:14:57,040 advantageous to do so. And this brings me to my next point which is salt prevents corruption. 141 00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:02,360 In Mark 9 49 through 50 it says for everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good but 142 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:08,400 if the salt has lost its saltiness how will you make it salty again. Have salt in yourselves 143 00:15:08,400 --> 00:15:16,320 and be at peace with one another. Salt inhibits corruption. The church is meant to restrain 144 00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:20,440 the corrupting influences of the world but also the the corrupting influences within 145 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:27,960 the church. The good works of the church are there to rebuke and stand against evil. How 146 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:34,920 does salt preserve food. Well as a preservative salt can work in two ways. Salt dries food 147 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:42,360 out like quickly. All living things need water and they cannot grow without it including 148 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:47,800 bacteria that can cause food poisoning. So an example in this in this case would be like 149 00:15:47,800 --> 00:15:53,000 butter. You know salt draws out and leaves the fat behind which helps prevent butter 150 00:15:53,000 --> 00:15:58,840 from spoiling. So you can take salted butter you can leave it out unrefrigerated on your 151 00:15:58,840 --> 00:16:04,980 on your counter and it won't spoil because the salt protects it but unsalted butter has 152 00:16:04,980 --> 00:16:10,240 to be refrigerated or else it will spoil. And the second thing it does is salt kills 153 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:16,880 the microbes. High salt is toxic to most but not all microbes because of the effect of 154 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:21,580 water pressure. Water goes between the cells and the environment to make the concentration 155 00:16:21,580 --> 00:16:27,720 of salt and other solutes the same on both sides of the cell. So in a very high salt 156 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:32,920 solution many microbes will explode because of the difference in pressure between the 157 00:16:32,920 --> 00:16:38,400 outside and the inside of the organism. High salt can also be toxic to the process inside 158 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:43,600 the microbes like DNA and enzyme. Solutions that are high in sugar have the same effect 159 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:47,880 on microbes which is why they can it can be used as a preservative in foods like jams 160 00:16:47,880 --> 00:16:55,880 and jellies. The idea here with this is that you need high concentrations again. So if 161 00:16:55,880 --> 00:17:03,280 we look at this as a case for Jesus Christ you need to have high concentrations of of 162 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:10,200 Jesus in your life because that's what's going to help you to remain salty to have the right 163 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:17,680 amount of salt in your life to both preserve what you're doing but also kill or hold off 164 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:22,880 the wickedness of the world the wickedness of our own hearts. You need to preserve your 165 00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:30,120 heart you need a lot of Jesus you need Jesus in your heart and so you need to remain salty. 166 00:17:30,120 --> 00:17:36,920 So Chesty Puller was the most decorated of Marines. He received five Navy Crosses and 167 00:17:36,920 --> 00:17:41,200 just so you understand the Navy Cross is not something easy to be awarded it's the second 168 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:47,740 highest award under the you know United States Navy or Marines. The Navy Cross is just below 169 00:17:47,740 --> 00:17:53,860 the Congressional Medal of Honor and he didn't just win one or two or three he was awarded 170 00:17:53,860 --> 00:18:00,400 five Navy Crosses. He led Marines in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II including 171 00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:06,520 the battle for Guadalcanal and Pellaloo. The names of which forever speak of the Marines 172 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:14,240 exploiting sacrifices but I want to I want to highlight that the battles Pellaloo these 173 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:18,920 battles in the island hopping campaign these were horrendous battles where the Marines 174 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:25,280 would see something like 70 to 80 percent casualties. These were the earliest amphibious 175 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:33,680 landings in World War II. So it predates the landing in Normandy and it actually is because 176 00:18:33,680 --> 00:18:39,800 of these landings that the landing in Normandy was even a possibility and they had huge casualties. 177 00:18:39,800 --> 00:18:46,520 So when we were to go and invade Normandy we understood the kind of loss we would suffer 178 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:50,880 in that battle but these but who did this this was Chesty Puller who did these bat these 179 00:18:50,880 --> 00:18:56,840 kind of amphibious assaults in these battles of Guadalcanal and Pellaloo. And the Korean 180 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:02,200 War Puller was again assigned as the commander of the first Marines which he led to the landing 181 00:19:02,200 --> 00:19:07,640 at Incheon on September 15th 1950 earning his Silver Star in the process which is the 182 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:13,160 third highest award that a Marine can be given for valor. He was given the distinguished 183 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:19,680 service cross from the Army for action from November 29th and December 5th of the same 184 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:25,600 year and his fifth Navy Cross for the action during December 5th through the 10th at the 185 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:30,200 Battle of Chosen Reservoir. And I might be wrong I mean I might have to double check 186 00:19:30,200 --> 00:19:35,040 this but I'm pretty sure the distinguished service cross from the Army is their equivalent 187 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:40,600 to the the Navy Cross for the Navy and the Marines. So again the second highest award 188 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:47,060 you could be given. It was during the battle of the Chosen Reservoir when he made this 189 00:19:47,060 --> 00:19:51,840 famous quote, we have been looking for the enemy for some time now we have finally found 190 00:19:51,840 --> 00:20:02,080 him. We're surrounded that simplifies things. And just for context in this battle 191 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:09,880 the entire US force was surrounded by several divisions of Chinese regulars who came in 192 00:20:09,880 --> 00:20:18,140 from North Korea they came across the Chinese border into North Korea to squash the American 193 00:20:18,140 --> 00:20:24,080 forces and to send the South Koreans reeling back into the ocean and win the war. So they 194 00:20:24,080 --> 00:20:29,600 were surrounded and Chesty Poehler was able to do what we know in Marine Corps lore as 195 00:20:29,600 --> 00:20:37,120 a fighting retreat and successfully breaking through and being able to pull back and survive 196 00:20:37,120 --> 00:20:44,200 this onslaught that should have been a massacre. So when we look at Chesty Poehler he both 197 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:49,360 served as an officer and enlisted man and this might not mean much again if you haven't 198 00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:54,680 served in the military if you don't understand. But Poehler was commissioned as a second lieutenant 199 00:20:54,680 --> 00:21:00,700 during the very tail end of World War I. But as the war wound down he was put on inactive 200 00:21:00,700 --> 00:21:05,080 status and giving the rank of corporal so he was busted down not for anything wrongdoing 201 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:08,960 but this is something that typically happened especially back in the day when you'd have 202 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:15,600 a large number of people in the military during a wartime condition but as the war waned you 203 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:21,960 had to cut people back and so they would reduce you in rank. Similarly people think of General 204 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:28,840 Custard but he was actually a lieutenant colonel Custard when he made his last stand because 205 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:34,360 the rank of brigadier general was awarded during the Civil War but then subsequently 206 00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:42,800 it was a brevet rank and so he went back down to his regular pre-war rank afterwards. That 207 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:47,560 being said as the war wound down he was put on that inactive service he's moved to the 208 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:52,680 rank of corporal so now he's an enlisted guy and in keeping with this hardcore attitude 209 00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:58,880 he decided to re-enlist as a private so that he could go back onto active duty and he was 210 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:04,840 sent to Haiti to fight the cacao rebels bent on violent overthrow of the US sponsored Haitian 211 00:22:04,840 --> 00:22:10,000 government at the time. So here you go now he's a non-commissioned officer corporal but 212 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:14,960 he's an inactive status and because of his desire to serve and his desire to be in the 213 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:23,360 military he decided to once again put himself in an even lower rank. So now in today's military 214 00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:29,400 you have nine enlisted ranks it's private is E1 and corporal is E4 and it goes all the 215 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:33,440 way up to sergeant major at E9 and then right after that is when you get to the O levels 216 00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:38,640 the officer levels and second lieutenant is the O1 level so he goes from an O1 all the 217 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:45,920 way down to an E1 basically and just so that he would be able to serve. So his valor and 218 00:22:45,920 --> 00:22:49,760 accomplishments in the battle earned him many rapid promotions and by the time he was shipped 219 00:22:49,760 --> 00:22:57,480 out to Nicaragua in 1930 he was again commissioned as a lieutenant. Polar's legend preceded him 220 00:22:57,480 --> 00:23:02,960 and served him well leading young men his men knew that he had their backs because he 221 00:23:02,960 --> 00:23:06,940 had pumped through the jungles and endured the harshest of conditions had been wounded 222 00:23:06,940 --> 00:23:15,360 in battle just like them. Our savior Jesus Christ was able to come to earth as a man 223 00:23:15,360 --> 00:23:23,960 live as a man grow up as a man and he was wounded for our transgressions. It's a very 224 00:23:23,960 --> 00:23:30,560 powerful idea when you think about it and this is one of the reasons why it always pulls 225 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:37,440 on our heartstrings when we see someone willing to sacrifice and to suffer alongside us. Chesty 226 00:23:37,440 --> 00:23:42,680 Polar was willing to suffer and sacrifice for his men just like our savior suffered 227 00:23:42,680 --> 00:23:48,360 and sacrificed for us. Polar quickly earned the reputation among his superiors as someone 228 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:53,880 who didn't abide with the red tape or political maneuvering. Some say that his straightforward 229 00:23:53,880 --> 00:24:00,200 attitude while serving him well in combat and by gaining the respect of his men it caused 230 00:24:00,200 --> 00:24:08,080 him to be passed over for receiving the nation's highest award the Medal of Honor. What do you 231 00:24:08,080 --> 00:24:13,960 think of that? Again it reminds me of our savior because our savior came to earth and 232 00:24:13,960 --> 00:24:21,960 then he quickly would speak out against the status quo of the religious elite or the political 233 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:38,040 elite within the government of Judea and the Roman Empire as well. Putting aside that is 234 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:44,440 it's a very interesting thing when we think of Chesty Polar. Men like Chesty Polar often 235 00:24:44,440 --> 00:24:51,160 find themselves cast out of the loftiest of political places. When the devil took Jesus 236 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:59,600 up to the mountain and offered him the world he refused because of the word of God. The 237 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:05,520 world is very willing to exclude you when you're not willing to play along or go with 238 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:11,640 the flow. And so that's part of the reason why the the lore of Chesty Polar is of such 239 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:19,000 importance especially to enlisted Marines. Because he had our back just like Jesus has 240 00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:24,520 our back today. As Christians we're called to hold God's standard above all else. If 241 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:29,440 that makes you less popular then fine. If that makes you less employable or less promotable 242 00:25:29,440 --> 00:25:37,160 then okay. We cannot allow the corruption of the world to influence us or the church. 243 00:25:37,160 --> 00:25:41,040 Many Christian churches today are falling into apostasy as they cling to the trappings 244 00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:46,560 of the world. We are meant to be a bulwark against the world. We are not meant to lose 245 00:25:46,560 --> 00:25:52,600 our saltiness and become saccharine sweet like the world. This brings me to the final 246 00:25:52,600 --> 00:26:01,480 point which is salt provides a zest and flavor. In Luke 14 34 through 35 it says, salt is 247 00:26:01,480 --> 00:26:07,600 good but if salt has lost its taste how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use 248 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:13,760 either for the soil or for the manure pile it is thrown away. The church gives zest and 249 00:26:13,760 --> 00:26:18,480 a distinct flavor to its surroundings. The church is not meant to be the sugar of the 250 00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:26,360 earth but the salt of the earth. As believers we are warned not to lose this savor. Savorless 251 00:26:26,360 --> 00:26:32,040 salts are good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. From our 252 00:26:32,040 --> 00:26:40,720 text in Matthew 5 13. So let's look at some polarisms. Old breed, new breed. There's not 253 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:48,240 a darn bit of difference as long as it's the marine breed. Now I have to clean up that 254 00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:57,840 one a little bit because he was a salty marine. But let's think about that for a second. What 255 00:26:57,840 --> 00:27:01,880 he's saying is old breed, new breed. There's not a darn bit of difference as long as it's 256 00:27:01,880 --> 00:27:06,680 marine breed. So here it is in a Christian sense. Whether you're a new saint, you're 257 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:14,480 an old saint, whether you're brand new saved and in service of the Lord or you're an old 258 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:20,200 man who's been pushing through and running a race, it doesn't matter as long as you're 259 00:27:20,200 --> 00:27:28,600 Christian and you're actually serving Jesus Christ. There's no difference. Keep your saltiness. 260 00:27:28,600 --> 00:27:35,120 Another one is where the hell do you put the bayonet? So he said this while at a flamethrower 261 00:27:35,120 --> 00:27:41,880 demonstration. So apparently, Polar wanted to be ready to stab the man he set on fire. 262 00:27:41,880 --> 00:27:50,000 These are crazy thoughts because he's a warrior. He's a mindset of, I need to be able to continue 263 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:56,520 the fight. I need to be able to continue the fight. And I only put this one in because 264 00:27:56,520 --> 00:28:03,200 it's quite salty, but we're meant to be soldiers for Christ. Now I don't think you need to 265 00:28:03,200 --> 00:28:09,460 be lighting people on fire and stabbing them. But here's the thought. Maybe you are supposed 266 00:28:09,460 --> 00:28:16,320 to use the word of God so that it burns on them with a spirit of conviction. And as you 267 00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:22,320 continue to drive home the word of God, the gospel message of Jesus Christ, it'll pierce 268 00:28:22,320 --> 00:28:29,800 like a bayonet into their heart and they'll receive and accept salvation in Jesus Christ. 269 00:28:29,800 --> 00:28:35,400 Here's another funny one. Jesse Puller says, son, when the Marine Corps wants you to have 270 00:28:35,400 --> 00:28:40,720 a wife, you will be issued one. This was Puller's response to young Marine who was asking permission 271 00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:45,880 to be married. It's a pretty interesting thing because oftentimes in our society now, it's 272 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:52,200 all about what we want when we want it. But the reality is, is that it's not about what 273 00:28:52,200 --> 00:28:59,200 we want when we want it. It's about what God wants us to do and how we can best fulfill 274 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:10,080 the call of Jesus Christ in our life. So in closing, maintaining our saltiness. 275 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:17,040 The church is not only the salt to the world, but we're called to keep our saltiness, to 276 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:24,200 restrain selfish ambition and quarrelsomeness. Salt is meant to be impactful. Paul seems 277 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:30,080 to interpret salt to mean wisdom or spiritual zest in communication, speech that is not 278 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:36,320 dull or bland. In Colossians 4-6, it says, walk in wisdom towards the outsider, making 279 00:29:36,320 --> 00:29:43,240 the best use of time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt so that you 280 00:29:43,240 --> 00:29:51,120 may know how you ought to answer each person. The church is the light of the world. In Ephesians, 281 00:29:51,120 --> 00:29:58,120 we read, for one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk is 282 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:02,360 the children of light, for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and 283 00:30:02,360 --> 00:30:07,360 true and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works 284 00:30:07,360 --> 00:30:14,520 of darkness, but instead expose them for it is shameful even to speak of the things that 285 00:30:14,520 --> 00:30:20,040 they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible. For anything 286 00:30:20,040 --> 00:30:25,000 that becomes visible is light. Therefore, it says, awake, O sleeper, and arise from 287 00:30:25,000 --> 00:30:30,720 the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Look carefully, then, how you walk, not as unwise 288 00:30:30,720 --> 00:30:36,320 but as wise, making the best use of time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not 289 00:30:36,320 --> 00:30:42,440 be foolish, but understand what will be done, or what will, or what the will of the Lord 290 00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:48,200 is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit. 291 00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:53,000 Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody 292 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:59,120 to the Lord with your heart. Giving thanks always and for everything to God, the Father 293 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:05,720 in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. 294 00:31:05,720 --> 00:31:09,160 In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us, You are the light of the world, a city that 295 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:14,160 is set on the hill, cannot be hidden. The figure of the church as light suggests the 296 00:31:14,160 --> 00:31:19,380 following, believers are children of light and give witness to Christ, who is the true 297 00:31:19,380 --> 00:31:24,800 light of the world. In John A-12 it says, I am the light of the world. Again, Jesus 298 00:31:24,800 --> 00:31:28,680 spoke to them, saying, I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will not walk in 299 00:31:28,680 --> 00:31:34,860 darkness but will have the light of life. Believers reflect the light of Christ like 300 00:31:34,860 --> 00:31:41,380 the light of the moon as Christ shines on us. Ephesians 5-14, for anything that becomes 301 00:31:41,380 --> 00:31:46,780 visible is light, therefore it says, Awake, O sleeper, arise from the dead and Christ 302 00:31:46,780 --> 00:31:54,840 will shine on you. And the book of Revelation calls the local church Lampstands, Revelation 303 00:31:54,840 --> 00:32:00,480 120, as for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven 304 00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:06,440 golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven 305 00:32:06,440 --> 00:32:13,360 lampstands are the seven churches. No matter how blessed we are to minister to one another, 306 00:32:13,360 --> 00:32:22,100 believers must not forget their primary mission is illuminating the darkness of the world. 307 00:32:22,100 --> 00:32:27,080 In Matthew 5-16 it said, In the same way let your light shine before others so that they 308 00:32:27,080 --> 00:32:32,040 may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. We are called 309 00:32:32,040 --> 00:32:39,760 to shine our light, to be good soldiers for Christ, to be on watch for Jesus Christ. Believers 310 00:32:39,760 --> 00:32:44,840 witness through words and works. In 1 Peter 2-12 it says, Keep your conduct among the 311 00:32:44,840 --> 00:32:49,880 Gentiles honorable so that when they speak against you as evildoers they may see your 312 00:32:49,880 --> 00:32:57,480 good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. And then later in James 2-14 and verse 17 313 00:32:57,480 --> 00:33:02,600 it says, What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have 314 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:11,080 works? Can that faith save him? And in verse 17, so also faith by itself, if it does not 315 00:33:11,080 --> 00:33:17,760 have works, is dead. So when you think of that, if you have faith but no works, you've 316 00:33:17,760 --> 00:33:28,960 lost your saltiness. It's like being dead. We are called to be both salt and light. The 317 00:33:28,960 --> 00:33:33,440 purpose of both is to bring men and women to the knowledge of Christ so that they can 318 00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:39,160 find salvation in him. If the whole point is to see others saved, then we cannot placate 319 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:45,440 the desires of the world. We must act with wisdom and with love, but both of these things 320 00:33:45,440 --> 00:33:50,880 can at times be painful to the hearer. When treating an injury, we often use antiseptic 321 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:58,880 that can help clean a wound, but it stings. In the process of cleaning a wound, it stings. 322 00:33:58,880 --> 00:34:05,120 Similarly, salt can sting, and it can seem harsh at times. That is why Jesus pairs the 323 00:34:05,120 --> 00:34:11,600 salt with the light. We bring clarity with the light. The light of Christ reveals the 324 00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:19,360 wounds of sin and the need for treatment. Only in Christ can the wounds of sin be healed. 325 00:34:19,360 --> 00:34:27,720 Only the wisdom or salt of the word can bring people closer to Christ. We must remain salty, 326 00:34:27,720 --> 00:34:35,160 but we always need to temper that salt with the loving light of Jesus Christ. If I could 327 00:34:35,160 --> 00:34:42,480 ever have bowed every eye closed as I finished this message, my time is up, and so we need 328 00:34:42,480 --> 00:34:50,720 to bring this to a close. I want to thank you for listening to me today again and for 329 00:34:50,720 --> 00:34:58,280 coming back to the pod fast, but I want to give an invitation. If this message has impacted 330 00:34:58,280 --> 00:35:02,640 you and maybe you know you're not right with Jesus Christ, you're not right with God, maybe 331 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:07,440 you've never given your life to Him, but you know you're bound by sin and you want to make 332 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:12,560 it right. I just want to give you an invitation. If that's you, I want you to raise your hand 333 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:19,080 wherever you are, wherever you're listening to this message in recognition to the work, 334 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:24,440 the spirit of conviction that's just pricking your heart right now. If you did that, if 335 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:29,400 you raised your hand, I can't see it. Of course, God can. I want you to repeat after me, Dear 336 00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:33,800 Lord God, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you sent your son, Jesus Christ, 337 00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:39,680 and that he died for my sins. I repent of my sins and accept you as my Lord and my Savior 338 00:35:39,680 --> 00:35:47,800 in Jesus name. Amen. If you prayed that prayer, you've taken that first step in salvation. 339 00:35:47,800 --> 00:35:52,660 You've been set free of the bondage of sin. You've been washed by the blood of lamb and 340 00:35:52,660 --> 00:36:01,640 you are saved by His grace and His grace alone. The next step would be to find a church to 341 00:36:01,640 --> 00:36:06,600 lock into. If you're in Samanar, please come out. If you did pray that prayer, reach out 342 00:36:06,600 --> 00:36:10,400 to me. We have lots of churches globally. I can help you find a good Bible-believing 343 00:36:10,400 --> 00:36:14,720 church, but read the Bible. You can get it on a phone. Everybody's got phones now. You 344 00:36:14,720 --> 00:36:22,600 can download the YouVersion app, get any of the decent translations out there. 345 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:28,000 I personally like the English Standard Version, but I know there's a big King James people 346 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:36,760 and you know, NIV people. It doesn't matter. Read the Bible and just cry out to God in 347 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:41,080 prayer. But I want to thank you again for listening to this message and for those of 348 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:47,180 us who have been saved for a long time, don't lose your saltiness. Don't let this world 349 00:36:47,180 --> 00:36:53,760 grind you down, but be salt and be light. We are living in a precarious time in our 350 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:59,440 society today with lots of comings and goings and elections on the horizon in the United 351 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:07,840 States and then later in Canada as well. Vote your conscience according to the Word of God. 352 00:37:07,840 --> 00:37:14,240 But remember too, that you're voting for a manager, for a government. You're not voting 353 00:37:14,240 --> 00:37:25,800 for a pastor. Why I say that is none of these people are perfect, but some are clearly, 354 00:37:25,800 --> 00:37:33,400 clearly in the world. They're clearly trying to live against the will of God. And you need 355 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:40,040 discernment. You need to read the Word of God. You need to read your Bible and understand 356 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:46,800 that there is sanctity of life. You know, I'm an American. I live in Canada. We're 357 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:54,340 pastoring here in Salmon Arm, but I will be, you know, voting, you know, absentee from 358 00:37:54,340 --> 00:37:59,880 where my home state was, where my family is from in Michigan. But it's in a very important 359 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:04,680 election. And I think that if you, if you listen to me for any time, I guarantee you 360 00:38:04,680 --> 00:38:10,120 could guess who I'm voting for because I think it's important that we put the right 361 00:38:10,120 --> 00:38:18,360 guy into position. And it's not to, it's not to say that I think that he's good to 362 00:38:18,360 --> 00:38:25,440 be a pastor, but I do think that God is moving and we all need to do our part in the countries 363 00:38:25,440 --> 00:38:29,880 that we're, we're living in the countries that we're part of. But the biggest thing 364 00:38:29,880 --> 00:38:38,440 here is remember you're Christian first. You're the great commission is for you to 365 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:44,800 tell the people of the gospel of Jesus Christ. You should be able to start that conversation 366 00:38:44,800 --> 00:38:50,480 before you go off on any tangents politically or about finances or any of the other stuff 367 00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:56,760 out there. You should be able to dive in and you should be able to tell people that Jesus 368 00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:03,360 sets you free from a life of sin and that you are saved because of the sacrifice of 369 00:39:03,360 --> 00:39:08,320 Jesus Christ. And with that, I'll just say again, thank you for listening to me today. 370 00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:12,560 I just pray that God will help you the rest of this week and I can't wait for you to come 371 00:39:12,560 --> 00:39:14,360 back next time. God bless. 372 00:39:14,360 --> 00:39:19,760 Thank you for listening to the P.H.S.A. Potter's House Salmon Arm podcast. Be sure to follow 373 00:39:19,760 --> 00:39:24,320 us on Instagram at pottershouse underscore salmon arm to keep up to date on what we're 374 00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:29,000 doing. Join the conversation and discover how Jesus Christ can revolutionize your life.