Sunday Sermon Outline: Finding the Way

"Finding the Way”
2 Timothy 3:14-17

2 Timothy 3:14-17, “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

I. God’s Word provides a destination. vs. 14-15
     “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 3:20; 1 Peter 1:9; 2 Corinthians 5:7

II. God’s Word provides direction. v. 16
     “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;”

2 Timothy 4:3-4; 1 Timothy 1:19; 2 Timothy 2:25-26

III. God’s Word provides our determination. v. 17
     “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Titus 1:16

Conclusion: Genesis 18:19; Isaiah 48:17; 2 Timothy 2:15; Psalm 119:133


LISTEN TO AUDIO MESSAGE HERE

Sunday Sermon Outline: He Spoke to Them in Parables

Matthew 13
He Spoke to Them in Parables


Introduction:
     Matthew 13:3, “[Jesus] spoke many things to them in parables.”
     Matthew 13:10, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”


I. The crowds did not want to understand. vs. 11-15
     “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12 For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; 15 For the heart of this people has become dull, With their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes, Otherwise they would see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I would heal them.’”
    
     John 10:24-25, “The Jews then gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me.””


II. The disciples were listening. v. 16
     “ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.”

     Matthew 13:44-46, “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. 45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”
     Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”


III. Jesus wasn’t the preacher they were looking for. vs. 53-58
     “53 When Jesus had finished these parables, He departed from there. 54 He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” 57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household.” 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.”

     Ephesians 4:10-12, “He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things. 11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.”


Conclusion:
     Mark 8:31-33, “[Jesus] began to teach [the disciples] that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.””
     1 Corinthians 2:1-5, “When I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.”
     John 14:8-10, “Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.””
     1 Peter 4:11, “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
     John 12:48-49, “He who rejects Me and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say and what to speak.”




LISTEN TO AUDIO MESSAGE HERE

Sunday Sermon Outline: Major Mistakes

1 Kings 13
"Major Mistakes"

I. Jeroboam 1 Kings 13:1-10
     “Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense. [2] He cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, “O altar, altar, thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.’” [3] Then he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken, ‘Behold, the altar shall be split apart and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’” 
     [4] Now when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him.” But his hand which he stretched out against him dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself. [5] The altar also was split apart and the ashes were poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 
     [6] The king said to the man of God, “Please entreat the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him, and it became as it was before. 
     [7] Then the king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.” [8] But the man of God said to the king, “If you were to give me half your house I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water in this place. [9] “For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, nor return by the way which you came.’” [10] So he went another way and did not return by the way which he came to Bethel.”

A. Jeroboam tried to tinker with religion. v. 1

B. Jeroboam resorted to violence in order to silence the man of God. v. 4

C. Jeroboam attempted to lure the man of God into compromise. v. 7


II. The Old Prophet 1 Kings 13:11-19
     “Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father. [12] Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen the way which the man of God who came from Judah had gone. [13] Then he said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode away on it. 
     [14] So he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak; and he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” [15] Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” [16] He said, “I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. [17] “For a command came to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall eat no bread, nor drink water there; do not return by going the way which you came.’” 
     [18] He said to him, “I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. [19] So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water.”

A. The old prophet kept silent in dangerous times. v. 11

B. The old prophet claimed divine revelation. v. 18
     Galatians 1:9, "if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed."
     1 John 4:1, "Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world."

C. The old prophet lied in the name of God. v. 18


III. The Man of God 1 Kings 13:19-34
     “So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house and drank water. [20] Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; [21] and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the command of the LORD, and have not observed the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, [22] but have returned and eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water”; your body shall not come to the grave of your fathers.’” 
     [23] It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. [24] Now when he had gone, a lion met him on the way and killed him, and his body was thrown on the road, with the donkey standing beside it; the lion also was standing beside the body. [25] And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived. 
     [26] Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him.” [27] Then he spoke to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” And they saddled it.[28] He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey. 
     [29] So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him. [30] He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!” [31] After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones. [32] “For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria.”
     [33] After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; any who would, he ordained, to be priests of the high places. [34] This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.”

A. The man of God made the mistake of thinking that it doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you're sincere. v. 19

B. The man of God made the mistake of thinking that God doesn't mean what He says.

C. The man of God made the mistake of thinking that partial obedience is sufficient.  


LISTEN TO AUDIO MESSAGE HERE

Sunday Sermon Outline: Running Blindly

2 Samuel 2:12-23
"Running blindly"

Introduction:
     “Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side. 14 Then Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us." 
     "All right, let them do it," Joab said. 
     15 So they stood up and were counted off--twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16 Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent's side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim. 
     17 The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's men. 18 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. 
     Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 19 He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20 Abner looked behind him and asked, "Is that you, Asahel?" 
     "It is," he answered. 
     21 Then Abner said to him, "Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons." But Asahel would not stop chasing him. 22 Again Abner warned Asahel, "Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?" 23 But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel's stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.”

I. We must recognize sin in our relationship with others.
     1 Corinthians 15:32-34, “If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die." 33 Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God--I say this to your shame.”

II. We must recognize sin in our private lives.
     1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, “Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.”

     Luke 12:1-3, “Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.”

III. We must recognize that we can overcome sin.
     Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Conclusion: Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”


LISTEN TO AUDIO MESSAGE HERE