Archive for Jesus Christ

Nov
19

The Victorious Life — sermon

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(The following is an excerpt from chapter 8 of Andrew Murray’s book, PRAYER. It is as he wrote it. I have taken the liberty to change the layout slightly to make it more preacher friendly.)

THE VICTORIOUS LIFE

In the chapter on ‘The More Abundant Life’, we viewed the matter chiefly from the side of our Lord Jesus. We saw that there is to be found in him – the crucified, and the risen, and the glorified one who baptises with the Holy Spirit – all that is needful for a life of abundant grace. In speaking of the victorious life, we shall now look at the matter from another standpoint. We want to see how a Christian can live really as a victor. We have already often said that the prayer life is not something which can be improved by itself. It is so intimately bound up with the entire spiritual life that it is only when that whole life (previously marked by lack of prayer) becomes renewed and sanctified that prayer can have its rightful place of power. We must not be satisfied with less than the victorious life to which God calls his children.

You remember how our Lord, in the seven epistles in the Revelation of John, concludes with a promise to those who overcome. Take the trouble of going over that seven-times repeated ‘him that overcometh’; and notice what unspeakably glorious promises are there given. And they were given even to churches like Ephesus, that had lost its first love; and Sardis, to whom it was said, ‘thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead’ (Rev. 3.1); and Laodicea, with her lukewarmness and selfsatisfaction – as proof that, if only they would repent, they might win the crown of victory. The call comes to every Christian to strive for the crown. It is impossible to be a healthy Christian, still more impossible to be a preacher in the power of God, if everything is not sacrificed to gain the victory.

The answer to the question, of how we attain to it, is simple. All is in Christ. ‘Thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ’ (2 Cor. 2.14). ‘In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us’ (Rom. 8.37). All depends on our right relationship to Christ, our entire surrender, perfect faith, and unbroken fellowship with him. But you wish to know how to attain to all this.

Listen once more to the simple directions as to the way by which the full enjoyment of what is prepared for you in Christ may be yours. These are – a new discovery of sin; a new surrender to Christ; a new faith in the power which will make it possible for you to persevere.

1. A new discovery of sin

In Romans 3, you find described the knowledge of sin which is necessary, in repentance, for forgiveness ‘That every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God’ (verse 19). There you took your stand, you recognised your sin more or less consciously, and confessed it, and you obtained mercy. But if you would lead the victorious life, something more is needful. This comes with the experience that in you, that is, in your flesh, there ‘dwelleth no good thing’ (Rom. 7.18). You have a delight in the law of God after the inner man, but you see another law in your members bringing you into captivity to the law of sin and compelling you to cry out: ’0 wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?’ (verse 24). It is not, as it was at conversion, when you thought over your few or many sins. This work goes much deeper. You find that, as a Christian, you have no power to do the good that you wish to do. You must be brought to a new and deeper insight into the sin of your nature and into your utter weakness, even though you are a Christian, to live as you ought. And you will learn to cry out: ‘Who shall deliver me; I, wretched man, a prisoner bound under the law of sin?’

The answer to this question is: ‘I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord’ (Rom. 7.25). Then follows the revelation of what there is in Christ. It is not just as given in Romans 3. It is more: I am in Christ Jesus, and ‘the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death’, (Rom. 8.2) under which I was bound. It is the experience that the law or power of the life of the Spirit in Christ has made me free and now calls on me, in a new sense and by a new surrender, to acknowledge Christ as the bestower of the victory.

2. A new surrender to Christ

You may have used these words ‘surrender’ and ‘consecration’ many times, but without rightly understanding what they mean. As you have been brought by the teaching of Romans 7 to a complete sense of the hopelessness of leading a true Christian life, or a true prayer life, by your own efforts, so you feel that the Lord Jesus must take you up, by his own power, in an entirely new way; and must take possession of you, by his Spirit, in an entirely new measure. This alone can preserve you from constantly sinning afresh. This only can make you really victorious. This leads you to look away from yourself, really to get free from yourself, and to expect everything from the Lord Jesus.

If we begin to understand this, we are prepared to admit that in our nature there is nothing good, that it is under a curse, and is nailed with Christ to his cross. We come to see what Paul means when he says that we are dead to sin by the death of Christ. Thus do we obtain a share of the glorious resurrection life there is in him. By such an insight we are encouraged to believe that Christ, through his life in us, through his continual indwelling, can keep us. Just as, at our conversion, we had no rest till we knew he had received us so now we feel the need of coming to him, to receive from him the assurance that he has really undertaken to keep us by the power of his resurrection life. And we feel then that there must be an act as definite as his reception of us at conversion, by which he gives us the assurance of victory. And although it appears to us to be too great and too much, yet the man who casts himself, without plea, into the arms of Christ will experience that he does indeed receive us into such a fellowship as will make us, from the beginning onwards, ‘more than conquerors’.

3. A new faith in the power which will make it possible for you to persevere in your surrender

You have heard of Keswick, and the truth for which it stands. It is that Christ is prepared to take upon himself the care and preservation of our lives every day, and all the day long, if we trust him to do it. In the testimony given by many, this thought is emphasised. They have told us that they felt themselves called to a new surrender, to an entire consecration of life to Christ, reaching to the smallest things, but they were hindered by the fear of failure. The thirst after holiness, after an unbroken fellowship with Jesus, after a life of persevering childlike obedience, drew them one way. But the question arose: ‘Shall I continue faithful?’ And to this question there came no answer, till they believed that the surrender must be made, not in their own strength, but in a power which was bestowed by a glorified Lord. He would not only keep them for the future, but he must first make possible for them the surrender of faith which expects that future grace. It was in the power of Christ himself that they were able to present themselves to him.

0 Christian, only believe that there is a victorious life! Christ, the victor, is your Lord, who will undertake for you in everything and will enable you to do all that the Father expects from you. Be of good courage. Will you not trust him to do this great work for you who has given his life for you and has forgiven your sins? Only dare, in his power, to surrender yourself to the life of those who are kept from sin by the power of God. Along with the deepest conviction that there is no good in you, confess that you see in the Lord Jesus all the goodness of which you have need, for the life of a child of God; and begin literally to live ‘by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me’ (Gal. 2.20).

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Nov
19

The Abundant Life — sermon idea

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(The following is an excerpt from chapter four of Andrew Murray’s book, PRAYER. It makes a neat outline to use for a message on the Abundant Life.)

THE ABUNDANT LIFE

What is it, then, which peculiarly constitutes this abundant life? We cannot too often repeat, or in different ways too often set it forth – the abundant life is nothing less than the full Jesus having the full mastery over our entire being, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

As the Spirit makes known in us the fullness of Christ, and the abundant life which he gives, it will be chiefly in three aspects:

1. As the crucified one

Not merely as the one who died for us, to atone for our sins; but as he who has taken us up with himself on the cross to die with him, and who now works out in us the power of his cross and death. You have the true fellowship with Christ when you can say: ‘I have been crucified with Christ – he, the crucified one, lives in me.’ The feelings and the disposition which were in him, his lowliness and obedience even to the death of the cross – these were what he referred to when he said of the Holy Spirit: ‘He shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you’ (John 16.15) – not as an instruction, but as childlike participation of the same life which was in him.

Do you desire that the Holy Spirit should take full possession of you, so as to cause the crucified Christ to dwell in you? Understand then, that this is just the end for which he has been given, and this he will surely accomplish in all who yield themselves to him.

2. As the risen one

The Scripture frequently mentions the resurrection in connection with the wonder-working power of God, by which Christ was raised from the dead; and from which comes the assurance of ‘the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead’ (Eph. 1.19, 20). Do not pass hastily from these words. Turn back and read them once more, and learn the great lesson that, however powerless and weak you feel, the omnipotence of God is working in you; and, if you only believe, will give you in daily life a share in the resurrection of his Son.

Yes, the Holy Spirit can fill you with the joy and victory of the resurrection of Christ, as the power of your daily life, here in the midst of the trials and temptations of this world. Let the cross humble you to death. God will work out the heavenly life in you through his Spirit. Ah, how little have we understood that it is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit to make us partakers of the crucified and risen Christ, and to conform us to his life and death!

3. As the glorified one

The glorified Christ is he who baptises with the Holy Spirit. When the Lord Jesus himself was baptised with the Spirit, it was because he had humbled himself and offered himself to take part in John’s baptism of repentance – a baptism for sinners – in Jordan. Even so, when he took upon himself the work of redemption, he received the Holy Spirit to fit him for his work from that hour till on the cross he ‘offered himself without spot to God’ (Heb. 9.14). Do you desire that this glorified Christ should baptise you with the Holy Spirit? Offer yourself then to him for his service, to further his great work of making known to sinners the love of the Father.

God help us to understand what a great thing it is to receive the Holy Spirit with power from the glorified Jesus! It means a willingness – a longing of the soul – to work for him, and, if need be, to suffer for him. You have known and loved your Lord, and have worked for him, and have had blessing in that work; but the Lord has more than that to bestow. He can so work in us, and in our brethren around us, and in the ministers of the church, by the power of the Holy Spirit, as to fill our hearts with adoring wonder.

Have you laid hold of it, my reader? The abundant life is neither more nor less than the full life of Christ as the crucified, the risen, the glorified one, who baptises with the Holy Ghost and reveals himself in our hearts and lives as Lord of all within us.

I read not long since an expression – ‘Live in what must be. ‘Do not live in your human imagination of what is possible. Live in the word – in the love and infinite faithfulness of the Lord Jesus. Even though it is slow, and with many a stumble, the faith that always thanks him not for experiences, but for the promises on which it can rely – goes on from strength to strength, still increasing in the blessed assurance that God himself will perfect his work in us.

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Nov
13

Jesus is The Son of God — sermon outline

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JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD

Seven Testimonies that Jesus is the Son of God:

1. The Father Testified of It Matt. 3:17

2. Jesus’ Personal Testimony Matt. 26:63

3. Peter Testified of it Matt. 16:16

4. Demons Recognized it. Mark 3:11

5. The Disciples Recognized it. Matt 14:33

6. The Resurrection Testified of it Romans 1:4

7. Paul Testified of It  Acts 9:20

 

 

 

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Nov
11

The Deity of Jesus Christ — sermon outline

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THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST

1. He existed eternally before he came to Earth as a man.
John 1:1-3
John 8:58
John 17:5

2. He is included in Scripture as a member of the Eternal Godhead
John 5:19-23
Matthew 28:19
Romans 1"7

3. His incarnation is described as God becoming man.
Philippians 2:1-11
John 1:14

4. He is ascribed the very names of God in Scripture
Mark 1:24
Matthew 22:45
Matthew 1:23
John 1:1
Acts 2:36
John 20:28

5. He is directly stated to be God
Colossians 2:9

6. He and the Father are stated to be One
John 10:30

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Oct
22

Scarcity vs Abundance – sermon

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The following sermon was written and contributed by Diane Harrington who resides in South Carolina. It is obvious that the Lord has blessed Diane with a writing and teaching gift. Thanks to her for this message.

 

 

THE ECONOMY OF SCARCITY
VS
THE ECONOMY OF ABUNDANCE
 
 
 

Introduction:

 
Fred Craddock, author of Preaching Through the Christian Year, tells about a Benedictine monk who was spending the weekend at the Trappist Monastery in Conyers, Georgia. At mealtime they were served the most delicious bread…..and there was plenty of it. All were enjoying it, and no one was saying a word. Everyone was caught up in the moment of eating this delicious bread, and the Monk said to the brother seated next to him, ‘Did we make this or did someone give it to us?’ And the brother answered, ‘Yes.’” (repeat question/answer) The brother was saying “Yes, we made it!” and “Yes, God gave it to us.” [1]
“YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.” We’re not sure just how Jesus said those words. It could have been in a still, quiet, voice: “You give them something to eat.” Or a pleading, urging voice: “You give them something to eat.” Or a commanding voice: “You give them something to eat.” While, it may have been all of the above, the word “YOU” in Greek is emphatic, [2] giving the sense of a command.  The food did not come as manna from heaven, from a flock of quail, from water changed into wine, or oil and meal that mysteriously replenished itself. The bread and fish not only came from God, but was also administered through the work and kindness of human hands. Christ takes our contribution, no matter how modest, and makes it enough. [3] “YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.”
 
 

Economy of Scarcity:

Our world economy operates under the principle of scarcity or supply and demand. Markets are supposed to regulate scarcity by gathering information about our wants and needs, and harmonizing supply and demand through the price mechanism. Money is a unit of information, a conveyer of price signals, a store of the world’s value, and a means of exchange. When supply is plentiful, prices are low. When supply is scarce, prices are high.
Man has seemingly infinite wants but finite resources. Mismatches in supply and demand occur when we fail to efficiently allocate these resources to their optimum level. Economics is the study of how societies use scarce resources to produce valuable commodities and distribute them among different people. This classical concept of scarcity – unlimited wants vs limited resources – is flawed because of man’s fear of not having enough. [4]  We fear scarcity for many reasons. It’s the “What if” dilemma – what if we lose our job, what if natural disasters like Tsunamis, famine, hurricanes, forest fires, earthquakes, etc. destroy our homes and take the lives of our loved ones, especially the breadwinners. What if terrorists attack us, dictators control us, or thieves steal our identities. This fear leads to hoarding, gathering more and more, trying to fill the void that fear leaves in us. How many times have we heard the comment, “You have to take care of yourself, because no one else is going to.” We forget that God sent manna each day, and instructed the Israelites to eat their fill, but not to save what was left over. God faithfully provided what they needed.
I am reminded of the story of a minister who had just begun to preach his sermon when a mighty thunderstorm struck. The congregation was obviously distracted by the loud thunder and sheets of rain hitting the windows. The minister stopped for a moment, and then said “Isn’t the Lord wonderful? Here we are, comfortable and dry, and the Lord has arranged for the storm to wash our cars while we worship.” [5]
Another negative offshoot of the world’s economy of scarcity is the tendency to look for weaknesses in others. While intellectual capacity, knowledge, and technology have become valuable resources in our society, the tendency has grown to not only look for weaknesses in others, but to use them to our advantage – either you win or I do. Though God does call us to use our gifts and talents to fullest advantage for his glory, we often use them for our own glory. We strive to be the best, to make more money, to buy more things because deep down, we’re scared to death of losing it all. We buy into the world’s “economy of scarcity” principles instead of God’s “economy of abundance” principles. As Paul Harvey would have said after hearing today’s sermon title, and now let’s hear the rest of the story, the story about God’s Economy of Abundance. Our needs are met in direct proportion to our level of trust in God. A man by the name of Henry Ward Beecher said that “Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.” Jesus chose the handle of faith, giving God’s principle of multiplication room to not only feed the masses, but to give glory to God. Jesus also taught, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and all the rest will be added unto you.” 
Today’s scripture lesson starts with Jesus withdrawing after hearing of John’s death. Most commentaries speculate that Jesus was tired and terribly grieved, but that when he saw the hoards of people that were waiting on the seashore, he had compassion for them. They looked like sheep without a shepherd. The Greek word for compassion comes from the common word for the spleen or intestines. We might say “he felt it in his gut.”  [6]
At the end of the day, the Disciples suggested to Jesus that they should send the people to nearby towns to buy food. They were thinking practically. We only have 5 loaves and 2 fish and that’s not enough. What if the crowd gets unruly? Of course, the Disciples were feeling compassion for the people and probably wanted to give Jesus some time to rest. Just like the Disciples, we add 2 + 5 to get 7, instead of doing math God’s way: 2 + 5+ Jesus = 8. When faced with overwhelming need, we should learn to count to 8. [7] In God’s math, one person plus God is a majority.
Jesus’s command “You give them something to eat” challenges Christians today. We live in a world where people are hungry for food, clothes, love, a safe place to live, escape from many different life conditions. We pray that Jesus will do something, but he responds “You give them something to eat.” The church has risen to the occasion many times with food, clothing, shelter, and medical care, but we often see problems instead of possibilities. There is a guy in my company that when a problem crops up, always says “Ladies and gentlemen, we have an opportunity.” We are tempted to believe that we have nothing to offer, or even if we do, we feel that our effort is insignificant – not enough to solve the problem so what’s the use in trying. Do we really believe that God can and will intervene in our world? What are the impossibilities in your life? What crowds or battles do you have to face? We can face them hand in hand with the one who makes things possible. We can read the Word, kneel before God in prayer, and then work in God’s strength. You, plus God, adds up to whatever God wants. 
Dr. Jerry Fuller in his sermon “Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes” tells the story of Rob and Jackay, who opened their own restaurant. As opening day neared, all that needed to be done was the health inspection and the issuing of their business permit. Both were to be done early morning and then “Our Place,” as they called it, would be in business. But that morning, Hurricane Hugo hit unexpectedly, making its way 200 miles inland to their North Carolina town. Sound familiar? Trees were uprooted, power lines were down, homes and stores destroyed. Rob and Jackay hurried to the restaurant, but everything was intact. A deputy sheriff pulled up and told them that their restaurant, the fire station next door, and a service station down the road were the only businesses with electricity. Rob and Jackay called the health inspector to come immediately, so they could open, but he couldn’t get to his office to issue the permit. No permit, no business opening. With a refrigerator stocked with 300 pounds of bacon and beef, plus bushels of tomatoes, lettuce, and bread, there was only thing they could do – give the food away. So, they told the deputy to call his coworkers and other emergency personnel that the Restaurant would have free BLT’s and coffee for anyone who came by. Soon, firemen, policemen, linemen, and other workers filled “Our Place.” When Rob and Jackay heard that another restaurant was scalping people by charging $10 for 2 eggs, toast, and bacon, they put a sign in their window: “Free BLT’s – FREE COFFEE. Families, travelers, and street people were welcomed. Then, something began to happen. People started to clean counters and sweep floors. Volunteers took over the dish washing from Jackay and helped Rob at the grill. Hearing about what was happening at Our Place from the local radio station, people from a neighboring town that didn’t have much damage from the storm, brought food from their freezers. Stores and dairies sent chicken, milk, and foodstuffs of all kinds. Those first cups of coffee and BLT’s somehow stretched to 16,000 meals. The restaurant’s small stock increased by 500 loaves of bread, cases of mayonnaise, 350 pots of coffee, and bushels of produce. [8]
Five loaves and two fish, which Pastor David DeWitt calls “One Little Lunch” – fed the masses of people in body and spirit. What should we draw from God’s economy of abundance? 
(1) Never underestimate God;
(2) Never doubt God’s ability to provide in BIG ways; and
(3) Jesus can turn the broken pieces of your life into blessings for yourself and for others. 

One little lunch satisfied many; one little lunch made a difference. It revealed the power of God, changed lives, and strengthened people’s faith. [9]  Jesus commands us, “YOU GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT.”

Amen.
 

[1] Craddock, Fred B; Hayes, John H.; Holladay, Carl R.; Tucker, Gene M.; Preaching Through the Christian Year, A (Valley Forge: Trinity Press International, 1992)
[2] Johnson, Sherman E., and Buttrick, George A., The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 7 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1951), page 431.
[3] Ibid. Johnson, Sherman, and Buttrick
[4] Vaknim, Dr. Sam, The Misconception of Scarcity, United Press International, http://samvak.tripod.com/scarcity.html
 
[5] Donovan, Richard Niell www.sermonwriter.com, Copyright, 2005, page 5 of 16.
[6] Fuller, Dr. Jerry, “Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes,” http://www.rockies.net/~spirit/sermons/a-or18-js.php
[7] Ibid, Donovan, Richard Niell, page 13 of 16
[8] Ibid, Fuller, Dr. Jerry, pages 1-2 (ref. “A Grand Opening,” Connections, 18th Sunday of the Year, August 1, 1999.

 

 

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Categories : Christian Living, Encouragement, Finance and Provision, Jesus Christ, Miracles, Pleasing God, Relationships, The Nature of God
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Oct
20

Jesus Loves Sinners — sermon

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The following sermon outline is from a sermon prepared by Pastor David O. Cofield. You may read his personal ministry blog here.

“Jesus Loves Sinners”

Luke 15: 1-2

Luke 15 starts as seemingly a way to introduce a new subject, “Then all the tax
collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. 2And the Pharisees and
scribes complained, saying, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
The Message says, “By this time a lot of men and women of doubtful reputation were
hanging around Jesus, listening intently. The Pharisees and religion scholars were not
pleased, not at all pleased. They growled, “He takes in sinners and eats meals with
them, treating them like old friends.”

The New Living Translation calls them “notorious sinners.”

Instead, this is not a new subject at all but a continuation of the entire purpose of the
writing of the gospel of Luke. Jesus loves sinners. He loves the outcasts, the downand-
outs. He loves the rejects.
Take a quick tour of this gospel and let us see this powerful impact of Jesus receiving
them. Most of what is listed here is found ONLY in Luke:

1. The author himself was a Gentile.
2. The book was dedicated to Theophilus, a Gentile.
3. The story begins with Elizabeth, a barren woman and the wife of a priest.
She must have been rejected by God and under His judgment because she
was a barren woman.
4. Then we read more about Mary in Luke than any other and find her
describing herself in 1:48 as a “lowly maidservant.”
5. Only in Luke do see Shepherds, the social outcasts and forbidden to enter
Temple worship, mentioned as hearing the good news of Jesus’ birth. No
wise men in Luke’s gospel.
6. Only in Luke 2 do we see Jesus astounding the scholars and teachers at the
age of 12.
7. Only in Luke do we see what type of people John drew to His teachings:
Luke 3 calls them tax collectors (vs. 12) and soldiers (vs. 14).
8. Only in Luke do we see the text for Jesus’ first message preached – Luke 4:
18-19 revealing that he was coming for the poor, brokenhearted, captives, the
blind, the oppressed and its time NOW for it to happen.
9. Only in Luke do we see Jesus’ raising the only son of a widow in Nain in
Luke 7.
10. Only in Luke do we see the woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her
tears and dried them with her hair described as a “sinner” (vs. 37) and pointed
out by the Pharisees that she was a sinner (vs. 39). A woman who was a
harlot in the presence of a man, let alone a prophet?
11. Only in Luke 8:2-3 do we see that many women provided for the needs of
Jesus.
12. Only in Luke do we learn of the Good Samaritan (chapter 10). A good
Samaritan – a contradiction of terms.
13. Only in Luke chapter 13 is there a woman who had a spirit of infirmity for 18
years healed on the Sabbath in the synagogue while he was teaching.
14. Only in Luke (chapter 14) is there a man with dropsy – swelling in his legs
and arms – was healed on the Sabbath in the house of one of the rulers of the
Pharisees.
15. Luke 14 – a great supper is made but the invited guests don’t come, so the
master gets angry ordering them to go and get the “poor, maimed, lame and
the blind” (vs. 21). The religious elite are not coming to the wedding.
16. Luke 15 is about a shepherd, a woman, and a man whose son lowered himself
to wanting to eat pig slop.
17. Only in Luke 16 do we see a man begging, filled with sores, eating crumbs
pictured like a dog that dies and goes to Heaven and the rich man dies and
goes to Hell.
18. Only in Luke 17: 16 do we see ten lepers healed with only one returning and
it says “He was a Samaritan.”
19. Only in Luke 18 do we see the story of Sunday worship with a Pharisee and
tax collector with the tax collector asking for mercy and being justified, not
the Pharisee.
20. Only in Luke do we have the story (chapter 19) of Zacchaeus being a tax
collector that Jesus goes home with and brings salvation.
21. Only in Luke (23: 39-43) do we learn of a repentant thief getting paradise
with Jesus on his day of death with Jesus.

Jesus loves sinners. He is a friend of sinners.
So, going back to Luke 15, let me make three statements of how Jesus feels toward
sinners:

1. You are of worth to him.
Shepherd is not permitted in Temple worship. Outcasts – outsiders.
But shepherds go after one lost sheep leaving 99 who don’t think they need any
repentance.
But only in the heart of a parent would you go seeking for one and not accept 99% as
good enough. Because love only in a parent’s heart is never diminished when divided.
Love knows the worth of one.

2. You are of value to him.
This is a woman. Every Jewish man prayed every day thanking God that they were
not “a Gentile, a slave or a woman.”
But she loses a coin, which was at least a day’s wages and might have been more. She
sweeps the house diligently until she finds it.
You are of great value to God. He does not want to waste a day of your life or see you
waste a day.

3. You are desired of Him.
The last two parables are all about the Father wanting a relationship with his sons.
There are two sons here but the teaching is the same: I will go to no limits to have a
relationship with my sons.

A. He will let sinful situations run their course until you come to
yourself and come into a relationship with Him.
He took 1/3 of all his father’s wealth, converted it to cash and wasted it with reckless
living, wild living. The elder son said it was with harlots. It got so bad that he desired
to eat the pigs’ food. But he came to himself, a right understanding of himself, his
ways and his father’s provisions. He prepares a speech and heads home.
The Father sees him coming and throwing away Oriental behavior, he runs to meet
him. This is the only time in the Bible we see the Father running. The father is so
eager to receive him that he won’t let him finish his speech. He:

a. Gets a robe. Not the one he wore previously, but one reserved for honored
guests.
b. Gets a ring. Symbol of authority. All the father has is now available to the
son.
c. Gets scandals. Servants or slaves never wore scandals. But he’s not a
servant, but fully accepted as a son.
d. Gets a fattened calf for a feast. Meat was normally not eaten at regular
meals, but this was a celebration.

B. He will confront sinful spirits in order for you to come to a
relationship with Him.
The elder son is a totally different story, but has the same underlying theme: The
father wants a relationship with him.
Here is the symbol of the religious elite. Why?

a. He had a self-righteous spirit. He looked down at disgust at his younger
brother for only he tells us that the younger brother spent his living with
harlots (vs. 30).
b. He was angry at the sight of joy and fun. Religious people cannot stand
somebody experiencing joy in the presence of Jesus.
c. He was work oriented. He recounts all that he has done for his father
thinking that was what the father wanted.
d. He was bitter and unforgiving. He would not come in and forgive his
brother. The meanest people in the world are religious people who are bitter
and unforgiving; yet keep right on doing their religious duties.

The sad story about the elder son was he had no relationship with his father to know
how heart broken the father was over the other son nor what the father really wanted
out of his elder son.

Unlike the younger son where the Father stayed on the porch until he saw his son
returning, with his elder son he goes off the porch and confronts him. All religious
spirits must be confronted.

In the confrontation is the appeal to the opponents of Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes –
the religious elite – that there is still time to be apart of His kingdom but you must
recognize you are a sinner and repent. The sad truth is that most religious people see
no reason they need to repent and won’t.

So what is the message for us today? Jesus loves sinners.

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were
still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Once President Abraham Lincoln was asked how he was going to treat the rebellious
southerners when they had finally been defeated and had returned to the Union of the
United States. The questioner expected that Lincoln would take a dire vengeance, but
he answered, “I will treat them as if they had never been away.”
That’s the same with God.

 

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Categories : Evangelism, forgiveness, Grace, Jesus Christ, love, Relationships
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Aug
14

Jesus is A Giver! — sermon outline

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The following is one of my sermons on Jesus and his heart toward us all.

 John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

1. Jesus’ Personal Purpose Statement
I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
 
-This little verse shows us Jesus heart toward us.
-His heart is a heart of surplus toward us.
-His heart is to bring value, goodness, and blessing to us.
 
2. Jesus is A Giver not A Taker
-All Jesus wants to take from you is your sin.
-Think about it. The Devil wants to drive you life deeper into sin to destroy you and this is the part that Jesus wants to take away.
-The Devil wants to take from you what Jesus wants to give you.
 
Question: You are having a big birthday party. Who do you want to bring your gifts? Jesus or the Devil? Well, life in a sense is a party and we are going to open what the Devil wants to give us or what Jesus wants to give us.
 
3. Jesus Gives Life
-This speaks of the "God kind of life."
-The kind of life man was placed in Eden to experience.
-The kind of life without the curse.
-The kind of life that flourishes with God’s presence.
-The kind of life that is supernatural and blessed.
-The kind of life that has grace, mercy, peace, adn joy as friends.
 
 
4. Jesus Fills us With Life
-The word "full" means overflowing. Not just to the top but to the top and it keeps being poured out. 
-This is the "spilled over life" of Jesus that splashes on those around us.
-When you run wiht the Devil you have to run on empty. If you follow Jesus, you can live on a full tank! 
-Actually live with Jesus is a life of multiplication. The more you give, the more you receive and the more you receive the more you are able to give and on and on!
 

 

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Categories : Authority and Dominion, Christian Living, Jesus Christ
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Jun
03

God and His Plan for You — sermon outline

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Following is another of our sermon outlines about God’s plan for your life. As with all our free sermons, please enjoy it! Also check out our Monday Morning Preacher’s Package!

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

You can be encouraged today by realizing the following truths that are present in this one power-packed verse:

1. YOU ARE GOD’S WORKMANSHIP
What an intoxicating thought, God is at work in your life! Don’t believe the enemy’s lie that
God does not care. Here Paul tells us that God is at work in us!

A. Having come to faith in Christ (v 8-9), God continues to give grace to grow you.(
B. You are God’s personal project so to speak. You have heavenly supervision over your life.
C. Since God is the Craftsman at work in your life, you are custom made by God. Exiting isn’t it?
Illus-In the world of fashion, people make a big deal about who designed their clothes, purses, shoes, etc. You are God designed and He does extended warranty work on you until you are called to be with Him. Lifetime warranty!

2. CHRIST IS THE BASIS OF FAVOR IN YOUR LIFE
You have become a join heir with Christ. It was not because of your good works (v9).

A. Because of what Jesus did, you can be saved.
B. Because of what Jesus did, you receive heaven’s benefits.
C. The flow of grace comes to you through Jesus mediation for you.
D. All that Father does for you is rooted in Christ Jesus.
E. Your creation and continued growth is in Christ Jesus.
F. When Father looks at you, He sees you with all the changes
    provided by Jesus’ death and resurrection.

3. YOU ARE CREATED TO WORK PROPERLY
It is so important to see yourself the way God sees you–through Christ Jesus.
We tend to focus on our weaknesses and do not move from there into our place of strentgh–in Christ!

A. God is an ace mechanic. As the bumper sticker says,
    "God don’t make no junk!"
B. We have under the hood what we need to move down the road of God’s will.
C. Tune ups are necessary as well as oil changes and occassional new tires. (sanctification)
D. God’s plans result in good works flowing from our lives. Not working to get saved
    but working because we have been saved.
E. New cars are not meant to sit on the parking lot to be seen. They are created to be driven on the road.
    Likewise, Christians have not been created to just sit on the pew in the church, they were created to
    go into all the world sharing Christ and his love and teachings.

4. YOU DO HAVE A GOD PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE
Many people struggle with feeling no sense of purpose. God has a purpose for your life. A well thought through plan.

A. This plan was ordained ahead of time.
B. The Christian life manual is the New Testament
C. The best place to start is to study Jesus in the Gospels.
D. See how God worked through Jesus.
E. Realize Jesus said his disciples were to go do likewise.
F. God laid out a plan for your life to walk in. As you walk out
    this plan, then His hands position everything into place.
G. Discover the plan of God revealed through Christ Jesus for your life.

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Categories : Christian Living, Destiny, Jesus Christ, The Work of Christ
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May
15

What Happened at the Jail Last Night? sermon outline

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The is a free sermon by Eddie Lawrence built around the conversion of the Philippian jailor’s encounter with Paul and Silas and yes, Jesus. Enjoy this as well as our other sermon outlines here at Sermon Seedbed.

Did You Hear About What Happened at the Jail Last Night?

Text: Acts 16:25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed27 And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. 28 But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” 29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized. 34 Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. (NKJV)

This dramatic event has several elements that make up its fascinating story.

1. Maintain a Faith Filled Attitude Under Pressure
(Paul and Silas were praying and singing instead of griping and complaining)

2. Expect God to Shake Things Up When Crunch Time is On
(Many, many times in the Bible, we see God’s miracles related to timing. There are a lot of earthquakes, but this one happened at just the right time. Some might think this was a miraculous intervention but just a natural occurence. Hmmmm? Why did the shackles release them but the place did not fall in on them and kill them. Doors opening and chains loosening sounds like some Angels were pretty busy.)

3. Look for Redemptive Opportunities in the Midst of the Shaking
(Often we miss the greatest opportunities by being distracted. Paul seized the opportunity to step in and minister to the jailor who assumed everyone had escaped which would have meant his life. I personally believe Paul had a word of knowledge about what the jailor was about to do because there was no light in the place. I think this added to the Jailor’s awareness that the God to whom Paul and Silas had been singing, was doing something extraoridinary.)

4. Learn to Recieve Good from those Who Once Hurt You
(What a beautiful site to see the jailor washing their stripes. No bitterness in either heart. Wow!)

5. Watch the Ripple Effects of Obedience
(Paul and Silas were able to witness a whole family’s conversion because they kept their faith under pressure.)

Conclusion–What jail or you in this morning? In what way is pressure being placed upon you? How have you been handling it? What changes do you need to make?

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Categories : Christian Living, Dealing with Trials, Evangelism, Faith, Jesus Christ, Miracles, Prayer
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May
13

Understanding Mind Veils — sermon outline

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This is a free sermon. Like our other sermon outlines, please develop and make it your own. A bible sermon effectively delivered can be such a blessing to people.

Understanding Mind Veils

2 Corinthians 3:13 unlike Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

UNDERSTANDING MIND VEILS

1. A Veil Worn Keeps Others from Seeing (v13)
A literal veil hides us from others
A mind veil keeps others from seeing who we truly created to be

2. A Veil Worn Keeps You from Seeing (v14)
A literal veil interferes with our ability to see.
A mind veil causes us to be blind to what we should see.

Blinded to:

A. Truth About Christ
B. How God Sees People
C. How to View Onself
D. The Deception of Satan
E. New Covenant Grace

We must remember in witnessing to the lost, that they cannot see.
You do not expect a blind man to see what you see.
You relate to the person in terms they understand and lead them.
They need to be able to trust you, not suspect you.

3. A Veil Remaining Hinders (v14-15)
A bride removes a veil when she is carried away by her groom.
To continue to wear a veil hinders intimacy.

In the Old Testament Tavernacle, the Veil was a barrier between God and Man.
Today that veil is in the mind and around the heart.

It is there as a result of sin. Sin separates us from God. Keeps us from God and
from each other.

Even as Christians, we can choose to wear an Old Testament veil which results in:

A, Attitude of Law toward people
B. A Yoke upon oneself
C. A unwhole view of Christ’s redemptive work
D. Striving and Struggling to measure up
E. Competition and Envy

4. A Veil is Removed through Repentance and Faith in Christ (v14 and v16)
Christ the groom removes the veil from his bride’s face
We must continue to ask him to remove the veils we put on areas of our thinking

5. A Veil Removed Results in Revelation (v16)
The field of vision is cleared and uncluttered when a veil is removed.
When a mind veil is removed by Christ, a person begins to see what they have
not seen before. It is awesome.

Jesus said in John 3, We can see the kingdom of God.

-The Bible comes alive.
-You see people differently
-Freedom replaces condemnation
-Grace abounds and love comes so much easier
-You see the glory of God
-You see the unseen!

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Categories : Christian Living, Evangelism, Grace, Jesus Christ, The Work of Christ, Vision
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