Truimph Over Our Enemies - Salt of the Earth.pdf

A sermon on Salf of the Earth

1. Triumph
Over our
Enemies
Salt of the Earth

2. Sermon
Salt of the Earth

3. Introduction
●Greetings and introduction
●Explanation of the theme of the month:
"Triumph over our enemies.
●Brief overview of the sermon: exploring
what it means to be the "salt of the
earth" and how this empowers us to
triumph over our enemies.

4. Introduction
●Today, we gather here to reflect on the
powerful message that Jesus shared
with us in the Sermon on the Mount.
Our focus will be on Matthew 5:13, where
Jesus tells His followers, "You are the
salt of the earth." As we delve into this
scripture, we will also align it with our
theme for the month, "Triumph over our
enemies."

5. Prayer
●Prayer:Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for
bringing us together today. Open our
hearts and minds to Your word. Guide us
to understand and apply Your teachings
in our lives. May Your spirit dwell
among us as we seek to be the salt of the
earth and triumph over our enemies. In
Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

6. Scripture Reading
Matthew 5:13
•: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the
salt loses its saltiness, how can it be
made salty again? It is no longer good for
anything, except to be thrown out and
trampled underfoot."

7. Understanding Salt
in Biblical Times (10
minutes)
01
Scripture Reading
•Matthew 5:13: "You are the salt of
the earth. But if the salt loses its
saltiness, how can it be made
salty again? It is no longer good
for anything, except to be thrown
out and trampled underfoot."

8. 01
Inthisverse,Jesususesthemetaphor ofsalt
todescribetheroleofHisfollowersinthe
world.Inancienttimes,saltwasincredibly
valuable.Itwas usedforpreservation,
flavoring,andevenasaformofcurrency.By
callingusthesaltoftheearth,Jesus
emphasizes ourimportance andthepositive
influenceweshouldhaveontheworld.

9. Understanding Salt in Biblical Times
Salt as a valuable
commodity:
•Used in
offerings
(Leviticus 2:13)
•Covenants
(Numbers 18:19)
Importance of
salt in ancient
times:
•Preservation,
•Flavor
•Purification.

10. The Role of Salt:
1. Preservation
●Christians as
preservers of God's
truth in a decaying
world.

11. The Role of Salt:
1. Preservation….
●Salt as a Preservative:Salt prevents decay and corruption. As
Christians, we are called to preserve the goodness and righteousness
in the world. In a society where moral decay is prevalent, we must
stand firm in our faith, upholding the values taught by Christ. This
preservation is not just about maintaining our own purity but also
about being a force for good, preventing the spread of corruption and
sin.

12. Reference to Jesus' prayer for His
disciples
●John 17:15-18
“My prayer is not that you take
them out of the world but that you
protect them from the evil one.”

13. The Role of Salt:
2. Purification
Salt as a purifying
agent: our call to live
holy lives
(1 Peter 1:15-16).
Elisha heals the water
(2 Kings 2:19-22)

14. Elisha heals the water
(2 Kings 2:19-22)
Healing of the Water
19The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord,
this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water
is badand the land is unproductive.”
20“Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.”
Sothey brought it to him.
21Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt
into it, saying, “This is what theLordsays: ‘I have
healed this water. Never again will it cause death or
make the land unproductive.’” 22And the water has
remained pure to this day, according to the word Elisha
had spoken

15. The Power of Salt:
3. Enhancing & Influencing
Salt's ability to enhance
flavor:
Christians enhancing the
world with the love and
truth of Christ.

16. Reference to Colossians
●Colossians 4:6
●"Let your conversation be
always full of grace, seasoned
with salt, so that you may
know how to answer
everyone."

17. The Power of Salt:
Enhancing& Influencing
Salt as a Flavor Enhancer: Salt enhances
the flavor of food, making it more
enjoyable. Similarly, we are called to
bring the flavor of God's love and grace
into the lives of those around us. Our
actions and words should reflect Christ’s
love, making life more meaningful and
joyful for others.

18. Losing Our Saltiness:
Danger of Compromise
●Warning against losing our effectiveness as
Christians.
●Encouragement to remain steadfast and
uncompromising in our faith.
●Jesus warns against losing our saltiness. If we
fail to live out our Christian values, we become
ineffective. We must remain vigilant,
constantly renewing our commitment to God
and His purposes.

19. Reference to Revelation
●Revelation 3:15-16
●"I know your works; I know that you
are neither cold nor hot.I wish you were
either cold or hot.16*So, because you
are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I
will spit you out of my mouth.

20. Triumphing Over Our Enemies
Through Our Saltiness
•Definition of our enemies: spiritual
forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12) and
obstacles in our lives.
•Example of David's triumph over
Goliath (1 Samuel 17): faith, courage,
and God's power.

21. Triumphing Over Our Enemies
Through Our Saltiness
1.SpiritualWarfare:Asthesaltoftheearth,weengageinspiritualwarfare.
Ephesians6:10-18describesthearmorofGodthatequipsusforthisbattle.Prayer,
faith,righteousness,andthewordofGodareourweapons.Bymaintaining our
saltiness—ourfaithandcommitment —wecantriumphoverthesespiritualenemies.
2.Overcoming PersonalStruggles:
Personalstrugglesandtemptationsareenemiesthatseektodrawusawayfrom
God.James1:12says,"Blessedistheonewhoperseveresundertrialbecause,having
stoodthetest,thatpersonwillreceivethecrownoflifethattheLordhaspromised
tothosewholovehim."Bybeingthesaltoftheearth,wecanpreserveourintegrity
andovercomethesetrials.
3.ImpactingtheWorld:
Wearecalledtoinfluencetheworldpositively,therebytriumphingoverthesocietal
evilsandinjustices.Matthew5:16encouragesustoletourlightshinebeforeothers,
thattheymayseeourgooddeedsandglorifyourFatherinheaven.Ourgoodworks
areatestamenttoGod’spowerinovercomingthedarknessofthisworld.

22. Triumphing Over Our Enemies
Through Our Saltiness
Biblical Examples of Triumph: Let's look at some biblical examples of
triumph:
1. David and Goliath: David, a young shepherd boy, triumphed over the
giant Goliath (1 Samuel 17). David’s faith in God and his courage made
him a powerful force for good. Like David, we must trust in God's
power to overcome our giants.
2. Daniel in the Lion's Den: Daniel remained faithful to God despite the
threat of death. His faithfulness preserved him, and he triumphed over
his enemies (Daniel 6). Daniel was a true example of the salt of the
earth, influencing even the king to acknowledge God's power.
3. Jesus’ Victory Over Death : The ultimate triumph is Jesus’ victory
over sin and death through His resurrection. This victory assures us
that in Christ, we are more than conquerors (Romans 8:37).

23. Encouragement from
Romans 8:37:
•"In all these things we are more
than conquerors through him who
loved us."

24. •Practical ways to be the salt of the
earth: standing firm in faith, prayer,
and living out our Christian values.
•Testimony of triumph: personal or
communal stories of overcoming
challenges through faith.

25. •I urge each of you to examine your life. Are
you maintaining your saltiness? Are you a
preserving and flavor-enhancing influence
in the world? Let us commit to deepening
our faith, standing firm in our values, and
actively engaging in spiritual warfare
through prayer and righteous living.
Call to Action:

26. Conclusion
•Recap of key points: being the salt of
the earth means preserving, purifying,
enhancing, and influencing for God's
kingdom.
•Final encouragement to embrace our
role as the salt of the earth.
•Closing prayer for strength and
courage to live out our calling and
triumph over our enemies.

27. •Thanking God for the call to be the
salt of the earth.
•Asking for strength and guidance to
maintain our saltiness.
•Praying for triumph over our enemies
through His power and grace.
Closing Prayer

28. Let us pray. Father, in the name of Jesus,
we thank You for Your word today. Help
us to be the salt of the earth, preserving
Your truth and spreading Your love.
Strengthen us to triumph over our
enemies, and may our lives bring glory to
Your name. In Jesus' name, we pray.
Amen.
Closing Prayer