Sermon On The Mount: Salty and Bright

Matthew 5:1-16

I. The Blessed: Called by Jesus (1-12) 

II. The Already/Not Yet Kingdom: Our Context 

III. This Is Us: Salty and Bright (Matt. 5:13-16)

 

Conclusion: Why Not Us? 

 

Small Group Discussion Questions

1. Who does Jesus call “blessed” in the Beatitudes? How does this surprise or challenge you compared to society’s view of who is “winning at life”?

2. Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world”—not “become” them. How does knowing this is your identity (not a task) encourage or challenge you?

 

3. As salt and light, we’re called to purify and shine (preserving righteousness, dispelling darkness). Where might you be losing saltiness or hiding your light? 

 

4. Charles Quarles notes that impure salt destroys life rather than purifies it. Have you seen the church’s influence become “poison” instead of a blessing? How can we guard against this at Hope Fellowship? 

 

5. The sermon asks, “Why not us?” to transform our community through good works as salt and light, living out the Kingdom of Heaven as the church. As a church, how can we maintain a testimony of being salty and bright to our community? John Winthrop said, “We shall be as a city upon a hill, the eyes of all people are upon us.”