Sermon on the Mount - Part 2 [Notes]

September 20th, 2026

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5-7, we find arguably the most famous sermon of all time, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Covering subjects like the beatitudes, being salt and light, the Lord’s prayer, generosity, and more, Jesus’ words are just as important and applicable today as they were 2,000 years ago. Whether you’re exploring the Christian faith, a new or newer believer, or a longtime follower of Jesus, we invite you to join us for this 12-week journey as we seek to grow together as His disciples.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
– Matthew 5:13-16 (CSB)

We can make a significant impact on this world.

Both salt and light positively impact their surroundings.

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.
– Ephesians 2:8-10 (HCSB)

2. Both salt and light can be small and yet have a great impact.

Both salt and light positively impact their surroundings.
Both salt and light can be small and yet have a great impact.
Both salt and light are used to overcome darkness or corruption.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.
– Matthew 5:13 (HCSB)

Jesus is apparently thinking of the function of salt as a preservative, as the enemy of decay, and as giving taste to food. What is good in society his followers keep wholesome. What is corrupt they oppose; they penetrate society for good and act as a kind of moral antiseptic. And they give a tang to life like salt to a dish of food.
– L. Morris

In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.
– Matthew 5:16 (HCSB)

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light— for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
– Ephesians 5:8-9 (HCSB)

Both salt and light positively impact their surroundings.
Both salt and light can be small and yet have a great impact.
Both salt and light are used to overcome darkness or corruption.
Both salt and light can be diminished.

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men.
– Matthew 5:13 (HCSB)

No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.
– Matthew 5:15 (HCSB)

“Strictly speaking salt cannot lose its saltiness; sodium chloride is a stable compound. But most salt in the ancient world derived from salt marshes or the like, rather than by evaporation of salt water, and therefore contained many impurities. The actual salt, being more soluble than the impurities, could be leached out, leaving a residue so dilute it was of little worth. In modern Israel savorless salt is still said to be scattered on the soil of flat roofs. This helps harden the soil and prevent leaks; and since the roofs serve as playgrounds and places for public gathering, the salt is still being trodden under foot”
– Deatrick

“Loses its saltiness” reads more literally “is defiled.” This is not the scientifically impossible notion of salt becoming flavorless but rather the common problem in the ancient world of salt being mixed with various impure substances and therefore becoming worthless as a preservative.
– C. Blomberg

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