Archive for Word of God
4 Questions on Discerning Direction from God – Sermon Outline
Posted by: | CommentsFour Questions on Discerning Direction from God
by Eddie Lawrence
INTRODUCTION: Being led of the Spirit and knowing the will of God requires discernment and an submissive heart. It is important that we get our heart in the place where we are willing to do whatever the Lord may ask us to do. We must not be like the lady that I read about who….
ILLUS-Walter Knight told of an old Scottish woman who went from home to home across the countryside selling thread, buttons, and shoestrings. When she came to an unmarked crossroad, she would toss a stick into the air and go in the direction the stick pointed when it landed.
One day, however, she was seen tossing the stick up several times. "Why do you toss the stick more than once?" someone asked. "Because," replied the woman, "it keeps pointing to the left, and I want to take the road on the right." She then dutifully kept throwing the stick into the air until it pointed the way she wanted to go!
Today in the Word, May, 1989.
TEXT: Proverbs 3:Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct[a] your paths.
The Bible assures us that there is a way we can position our hearts to know we will be directed by the Lord. This verse says so in addition to many others. Let me share four questions we can ask during times when we are trying to discern direction from the Lord.
1. Does What You are Sensing Square with Scripture?
-Since the Scripture reveals us to us the will of God, we should never follow a path contrary to the truth of Scripture.
-We are to be led by the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:14) and the Holy Spirit will never lead us contrary to Scripture. Why? Because the Scripture was given to men through the Holy Spirit.
2. Does What You are Sensing Bear Witness with Peace?
-Paul wrote we are to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. If what we think we hear God saying causes us to lose our peace, then something is amiss.
-The ministry of reconciliation that believers carries is awesome. We must not violate that ministry by doing things that we do not have an inner peace about doing,
-Something may be right to do, but it may not be the right time to do it.
-Something may be right for someone else to do, but yet, you are not to do it,
-Something may right in your own eyes and the eyes of your friends, but if there is no peace, then the Holy Spirit is saying "No!"
3. Does What You are Sensing Connect or Conflict with Other Confirmed Direction?
-If you are having to knock down a door that God has not opened, then realize you are going the wrong way. Sometimes we want something we will try to bend everything toward it.
ILLUS-When God bolts the door, don't try to get in through the window. The will of God never will lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you.- Source Unknown.
-In the mouth of two or three witnesses a thing is established. What does the counsel of godly people around you say?
-What prophetic words have you been encouraged with through the Scripture or through the Spirit speaking through someone else, or even your dreams. God still speaks through dreams but be discerning and use the Word as a standard to judge them.
ILLUS-Do not hastily ascribe things to God. Do not easily suppose dreams, voices, impressions, visions or revelations to be from God. They may be from Him. They may be from nature. They may be from the Devil.
J.K. Johnston, John Wesley Why Christians Sin, Discovery House, 1992, p. 102.
-Do not go against the last thing you KNOW God spoke to you about by changing directions on a word you are not fully assurred of.
4. Does What You are Sensing Contain the Fruit of the Spirit?
-Do not do what Jesus who was full of the Spirit would not do.
-This is a behavior oriented test. The Lord leads us to do things that will result in the fruit of the Spirit being demonstrated in our lives.
-For example, He will not lead you to lose your patience with your spouse. He will not lead you to respond to someone in a hateful way, or unforgiving way, etc.
CONCLUSION: Are you willing to do His will. Kent Crockett says:
People wrestle with God for one of two reasons:
1. They don't know God's will and are trying to find it.
2. They know God's will and are trying to decide whether or not to do it. (Kent Crockett's Sermon Illustrations)
Which of these might you be wrestling with?
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The Seed of Faith — Sermon by Andrew Murray
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The Seed of Faith by Andrew Murray
(This is the third chapter in his book, Why Do You Not Believe?)
"The seed is the word of God." Luke 8: 11.
Very simply as well as strikingly is the word of God set forth to us in this parable. There lies the cold, dead earth, which of itself brings forth either nothing, or thorns and thistles. It has not the power to give man nutritive corn.
When the husbandman, however, desires to have that corn, he takes good seed and commits it to the ground that had hitherto brought forth nothing but weeds. The soil receives it, and keeps it in the silent and dark secrecy of its bosom. Encouraged by the sunshine and moistened by the dew of heaven, it shoots there and grows up; and the cold dead earth by and by becomes the mother of a beautiful crop. The life was not in the earth, but in the seed; and yet the earth was just as indispensable as the living seed, before that these fair fruits could be reaped. Although the seed did not receive life from the earth, yet without the earth’s having its share in the work, the seed could not yield its fruit. It must offer the seed the soil, in which the root can shoot; in its bosom must the seed still be kept until it be ready to make an appearance above ground.
A glorious and instructive picture is this of the new life of grace. Like the seed, the word has a divine power of life. Like the earth, the heart is in itself lifeless, unfruitful of itself in what is good. Like the seed in the earth, the word is strewn in the heart and committed to it, simply to be received and kept there.
The living power that God has lodged in the seed is the security that the ground, although in and of itself wholly incapable of bringing forth anything but weeds, will be changed into a fruitful field. Thus, however helpless you may feel yourselves to be, will the living seed of God’s word send forth its roots in your heart, and sprouting upwards bring forth fruit.
Sinner, yearning for salvation, you have only to acknowledge that a living power is presented to you in every word of God. With that confidence must you keep it in your heart, and the certainty of fruit depends not on any ability of yours, but on the faithfulness of God. Only endeavor by prayerful consideration and faithful keeping of God’s word, to prepare a place for it in your heart.
Mourn no longer, then, that your heart is so hard and so full of weeds, but rather understand what you see every day, that by the keeping of the seed the dead earth is transformed into a fruitful field.
Faith is not a thing that is present in you before you receive the word, or with which you must meet the word. No! there is life in the word, and it is by the word that faith is first awakened.
Meanwhile, forget not that there are many kinds of seed, and that every kind bears fruit according to its nature. A child of God, for example, longs for comfort in adversity; he chooses one of the promises of God to His people, sows it in his heart, and keeps it; the desired fruit is the comfort of God.
As those who are troubled about your sins, you have need of the promises of God’s grace in relation to the ungodly. Seek for seed according to your need. "The Lord is gracious and full of compassion"; "He will abundantly pardon"; "He that comes to Me I will in no wise cast out"; "Christ died for the ungodly." That is the kind of seed you must use.
Every one of these words is a heavenly grain of seed containing power for eternal life. One of them is sufficient to bring forth, when it shoots up, the fruits of faith and peace and life. Let one of them be faithfully kept in the heart, and it cannot but be that faith will be born of it.
In the seed is life: the seed of God’s word has a divine power of life. O, take, then, the heavenly seed, lay it up in your heart, and keep it there. Although you do not actually feel that you believe, resolve at least to hold fast by the thought: "It is the living word of God. God will give the increase in His own time."
The seed needs time for development. It must be kept a long time quietly beneath the ground: one day it certainly comes up. Day by day continue absorbed in heart with the word of promise and of grace. The true God and His living word are the guarantees that your experience also will be: "Faith comes by the word of God."
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Personal Soul-Winning — sermon outline
Posted by: | Comments(The following excerpt is from a book written in 1910 by William Evans on Personal Soulwinning. This very brief excerpt contains a neat outline that could be adapted and expanded upon for a sermon. I have added bold type and numbers to assist in the outline.)
PERSONAL SOULWINNING
by William Evans (1870-1950)
Philip the evangelist w^ould have lost a magnificent opportunity if he had not been able to find the place in the Scriptures where it is written. We must be experts in the handling of the Word of God. Sometimes to hesitate means to lose the case you are dealing with. See how quickly Jesus turned to just the place he wanted when he was called upon to read in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke 4:17) : "And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it w^as written." Ability to find the place where it is written inspires confidence in the inquirer, whereas hesitancy is a barrier to effective dealing.
We need ability in handling the Bible, for three reasons :
1. First: To show men from the Word of God that they are sinners.
It need hardly be said that all men do not concede that they are sinners. In order to convince them of this fact, we need words that are divine. No words of ours can produce conviction of sin: God’s Word alone can do that. It is the "sword of the Spirit” alone that can prevail in such a conflict as this, and the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Eph. 6:17).
2. Secondly: To point men who are convicted of sin to Jesus Christ, who is the Sin-bearer.
This can only be done by directing the thought of the inquirer to those passages of Scripture which set forth the death of Christ as the propitiation for the sins of men. No words of ours can give peace and assurance to souls that are burdened with the knowledge and guilt of sin. God must speak if men are to hear the words, ‘^Go in peace; thy sins are forgiven thee."
3. Thirdly : We must use the Bible in order to establish men in the faith, and to direct them to the means of growth in the Christian life.
It is not enough that we get men saved. We must show them how to make a success of the Christian life ; we must show them how to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
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Four Pictures of a Bible Hungry Heart – sermon outline
Posted by: | CommentsFour Pictures of a Bible Hungry Heart – Psalm 119 sermon
Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, And not to covetousness.
What did the Psalmist mean, when he prayed for the Lord to incline his heart toward His testimonies? Psalm 119 focuses on the Psalmist’s love for God’s Word in so many different ways, but I was captured by this particular prayer, "incline my heart." What is this, how does God do this?
From a study of the meaning of the word "Incline:, I suggest that he was praying for:
1. A REACHING HEART
The word "incline" is used in many places in the O.T. in the sense of a "stretching out toward something." Like stretching out a tent, reaching out to pick up a staff, etc. Ex. 6:6 The Lord told Moses He would rescue Israel with an "outstretched arm".
The Psalmist wanted his heart to be reaching and stretching to lay hold of God’s testimonies.
2. A TURNED HEART
The word "incline" also is used to describe a "turning aside" to something. It was used of Balaam’s Ass that turned aside when it saw the Angel with the drawn sword (Numbers 22:23).
The man who wrote this verse wanted to have a heart that would be inclined to immediately turn toward God’s testimonies in times of pressure and trouble.
3. A DIRECTED HEART
The word "incline" is sometimes used to speak of "giving attention to", to "turn one’s attention to." In the following verse, you see it is used of having one’s heart full of something that causes one to take action and turn in a certain direction. The phrase "Go then" is the same word used in Ps. 119:36 that is translated "incline" in the passage we are studying.
1 Sam. 14:7 So his armorbearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart.”
So, our Psalmist friend was also praying that his heart would be directed toward the testimonies of God and beyond that maybe he was thinking he wanted his heart so full of God’s testimonies that the power of those testimonies would spur him on in right direction.
4. A SATURATED HEART
The very context of Ps. 119:36 also shows us that this man wanted his heart full of God’s Word and not something else, namely covetousness.
Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, And not to covetousness.
The Psalmist wanted his heart saturated with a desire for God and His testimonies. He wanted to be allured by the stories of God, not the offers of the world.
Conclusion– This little verse invites us to examine our hearts. Do we have a heart inclined toward God’s Word? Do we pray as the Psalmist did that God would move in answer to our prayers and influence our heart in such a way that it would be inlcinded toward what God said and away from the enticing words of other influences?
The good news for us is, the as we are praying for the Lord to incline our heart toward Him, He is saying "Come to me!" This is the sweet collision of desire between God and a Saved Man. Listen to what Charles Spurgeon wrote:
"From the first moment of your spiritual life until you are ushered into glory, the language of Christ to you will be, "Come, come unto me." As a mother puts out her finger to her little child and woos it to walk by saying, "Come," even so does Jesus. He will always be ahead of you, bidding you follow Him as the soldier follows his captain. He will always go before you to pave your way, and clear your path, and you shall hear His animating voice calling you after Him all through life; while in the solemn hour of death, His sweet words with which He shall usher you into the heavenly world shall be–"Come, ye blessed of my Father."(Spurgeon’s Daily Devotional)
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The Five Ingredients of Faith – Luke 5
Posted by: | CommentsTHE FIVE INGREDIENTS OF FAITH
by Eddie Lawrence
INTRODUCTION- We often talk about taking a step of faith, but actually a step of faith involves several "steps" in order to truly be faith.
TEXT- Luke 5: 1 So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, 2 and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. 3 Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat.
4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”
5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
9 For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” 11 So when they had brought their boats to land, they forsook all and followed Him. (NKJV)
NOTICE THE FIVE INGREDIENTS OF FAITH IN THE ABOVE PASSAGE:
1. KNOWLEDGE
(V5)..nevertheless at Your word…
Simon (Peter) first had to know what Jesus wanted him to do before he did it. He heard Jesus Word.
The first ingredient is knowledge. In order to act upon something, you first have to know about it.
For example, if the local restaurant had a two-for-one special on their Ribeye Steak Dinners, in order for me to get in on it and experience it, and eat one of those dinners, I would first have to know about the offer.
Faith comes by hearing (Romans 10:17) the Word of God. How can people be saved if they do not hear? This is the question Paul asked the Romans. In other words, people first have to know what God is saying.
2. BELIEF
(V5) But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
Notice Peter’s objection at first, we have already done this and caught nothing. In other words, it is hard to believe that there is any reason in the natural to act on what you are saying.
Yet, Peter made the decision to believe what Jesus said. Had he not chosen to place faith in what Jesus said, he would never have let down the nets.
Once a person knows then they must choose whether or not they believe that knowledge is correct. Is it true?
To continue the restaurant illustration, you would not go for a special offer at a restaurant if you did not believe they were having the special offer. You would assume it would be a waste of time. This was Peter’s first thought, but he moved through it and make the choice to believe Jesus word.
3. COMMITMENT
(v5) …nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
Notice Peter says, "I will" let down the net. These is an act of his will. He is commiting himself to doing what Jesus said even before he does it.
If a person has decided that they have heard and know about is true, then the next step is whether or not, they will commit to that truth. A person can believe that it is true that the restaurant is offering a two-for-one special on their ribeye steaks, but may not commit to actually taking the step to utilize the offer. They may hear of others who have gone and eaten one of the steak dinners and who share that is wonderfully delicious and a great deal, and still not get one for themselves. In order to fully experience the truth of what they have heard about and believe to be true, they have to commit to it for themselves. In other words, they head toward the restaurant with the full intent of buying.
4. ACTION
(v6) And when they had done this…
Peter actually followed through on his commitment and did it. This is the action part.
This is the step of acted upon a commitment made. To continue the illustration. This is the step of entering the restaurant, ordering and eating the steak.
5. RESULTS
(v6) And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. 7 So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”
The results of Peter’s step of faith is that he saw in the natural what he had already heard, believed, committed to and acted upon in his spirit and life. He experienced a bunch of benefits:
-A boat load of fish "a great number of fish"
-Enough to share with others "signaled to their partners"
-A deeper revelation of Who Jesus was "fell down at Jesus’ knees" An act of worship.
-A deeper revelation of Who he was "sinful man"
-A powerful public witness "all were astonished"
-A realization of purpose for his life "from now on you will catch men"
This last ingredient is really more of a benefit of faith. The result one receives because he has heard and known, believed, committed to and acted upon what he has heard, and experienced it for himself. This is standing up at the table at the restaurant, rubbing your belly, and being fully satisfied and full because you ordered and ate the two-for-one special. You then walk out and become a witness to what you have experienced to others whom you think would enjoy a ribeye steak dinner at a great price.
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