Sunday Sermon Outline: Step Into the Water

“Step into the Water” 

Joshua 3:1 – 4:8

Introduction:

“Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. [7] Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. [8] This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. [9] Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:6-9).

I. Concentration 3:1-4

“Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and he and all the sons of Israel set out from Shittim and came to the Jordan, and they lodged there before they crossed. [2] At the end of three days the officers went through the midst of the camp; [3] and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. [4] However, there shall be between you and it a distance of about 2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.””

Deuteronomy 1:30-33, “The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight on your behalf, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, [31] and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, just as a man carries his son, in all the way which you have walked until you came to this place. [32] But for all this, you did not trust the LORD your God, [33] who goes before you on your way, to seek out a place for you to encamp, in fire by night and cloud by day, to show you the way in which you should go.” 

 

Psalm 32:8-9, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. [9] Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they will not come near to you.”

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27).

“… let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith …” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

II. Consecration 3:5

“Then Joshua said to the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you.””

“I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44).

 

“Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness. … If anyone cleanses himself … he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:19, 21). 

III. Commitment 3:6-17

“And Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over ahead of the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went ahead of the people. [7] Now the LORD said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you. [8] You shall, moreover, command the priests who are carrying the ark of the covenant, saying, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” [9] Then Joshua said to the sons of Israel, “Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God.” [10] Joshua said, “By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Hivite, the Perizzite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, and the Jebusite. [11] Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over ahead of you into the Jordan. [12] Now then, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man for each tribe. [13] It shall come about when the soles of the feet of the priests who carry the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan will be cut off, and the waters which are flowing down from above will stand in one heap.” [14] So when the people set out from their tents to cross the Jordan with the priests carrying the ark of the covenant before the people, [15] and when those who carried the ark came into the Jordan, and the feet of the priests carrying the ark were dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the days of harvest), [16] the waters which were flowing down from above stood and rose up in one heap, a great distance away at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those which were flowing down toward the sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. So the people crossed opposite Jericho. [17] And the priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan while all Israel crossed on dry ground, until all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan.”

“we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). 

 

“Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT” (Luke 23:46).

“Commit your way to the LORD; trust also in Him and He will do it” (Psalm 37:5).

IV. Commemoration 4:1-8

“Now when all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, [2] “Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from each tribe, [3] and command them, saying, ‘Take up for yourselves twelve stones from here out of the middle of the Jordan, from the place where the priests’ feet are standing firm, and carry them over with you and lay them down in the lodging place where you will lodge tonight.’” [4] So Joshua called the twelve men whom he had appointed from the sons of Israel, one man from each tribe; [5] and Joshua said to them, “Cross again to the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel. [6] Let this be a sign among you, so that when your children ask later, saying, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ [7] then you shall say to them, ‘Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off.’ So these stones shall become a memorial to the sons of Israel forever.” [8] Thus the sons of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, just as the LORD spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the lodging place and put them down there.”

1 Corinthians 11:23-26, “I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; [24] and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” [25] In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” [26] For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”

Conclusion: 

 

Concentration. “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14).

Consecration. 1 John 3:2-3, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. [3] And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.”
 

Commitment. “Those also who suffer according to the will of God shall entrust their souls (“commit themselves,” NIV) to a faithful Creator in doing what is right” (1 Peter 4:19).

Commemoration. “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead” (2 Timothy 2:8). “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”

Joshua 5:1, “Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel.”

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31).  

 

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith” (1 John 5:4). 

 

 

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Sunday Sermon Outline: Distinguishing Right From Wrong

"Distinguishing Right from Wrong"
Isaiah 6

Introduction:
    Isaiah 5:20-23, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! [21] Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight! [22] Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine And valiant men in mixing strong drink, [23] Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!”
    Isaiah 5:24-25, “Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the LORD of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel. [25] On this account the anger of the LORD has burned against His people, And He has stretched out His hand against them and struck them down. And the mountains quaked, and their corpses lay like refuse in the middle of the streets. For all this His anger is not spent, But His hand is still stretched out.”
    Romans 1:18, “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” 
    1 Corinthians 10:11-12, “Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. [12] Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall.”
    1 Timothy 4:1, “the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.” 

I. The Confirmation of Truth 6:1-4
    “In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. [2] Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. [3] And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” [4] And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.”

    Ephesians 2:20-21, “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, [21] in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.”
    John 20:31, “these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” 

    Romans 15:4, “whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” 

    John 8:31-32, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; 32 and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

II. The Confession of Sin 6:5
    “Then I said, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.””

    Ezekiel 18:4-5, 9, “… The soul who sins will die. 5 But if a man is righteous, and practices justice and righteousness, … 9 if he walks in My statutes and My ordinances so as to deal faithfully-- he is righteous and will surely live," declares the Lord GOD.”

III. The Cleansing of Sin 6:6-7
    “Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. [7] He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.””

    Ephesians 5:25-27, “... Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, [26] so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, [27] that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.”
    2 Timothy 2:21, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” 

IV. The Commitment of the Servant 6:8
    “Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!””

    Matthew 9:37-38, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
    Acts 22:10, “'What shall I do, Lord?' And the Lord said to me, 'Arise and go on into Damascus; and there you will be told of all that has been appointed for you to do.'”

V. The Commission of a Servant 6:9-12
    “He said, “Go, and tell this people: ‘Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.’ [10] “Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.” [11] Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered, “Until cities are devastated and without inhabitant, Houses are without people And the land is utterly desolate, [12] “The LORD has removed men far away, And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.”

    Luke 10:16, “The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

    “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

VI. The Confirmation of the Faithful 6:13
    “Yet there will be a tenth portion in it, And it will again be subject to burning, Like a terebinth or an oak Whose stump remains when it is felled. The holy seed is its stump.”

    Romans 11:5, “In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant according to God's gracious choice.”

Conclusion:
    Revelation 22:6-20, “And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. [7] “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.” [8] I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. [9] But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.” [10] And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. [11] “Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” [12] “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. [13] “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” [14] Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city. [15] Outside are the dogs and the sorcerers and the immoral persons and the murderers and the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying. [16] “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” [17] The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost. [18] I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book; [19] and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. [20] He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

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Sunday Sermon Outline: Hebrews 6:9-20

“The Certainty of God's Promise”
Hebrews 6:9-20

Introduction: Hebrews 6:1

      "But, beloved, we are convinced of better things concerning you, and things that accompany salvation, though we are speaking in this way. [10] For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. [11] And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, [12] so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises."

Hebrews 4:16; 1 John 1:9; Revelation 2:10; Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:22; Hebrews 12:1;
1 Timothy 6:14; 2 Timothy 2:11-12


I.   A Divine Commitment  vs. 13-14
     "For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, [14] saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.”"

Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16


II.  A Divine Blessing  vs. 14-15
     "For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, [14] saying, “I WILL SURELY BLESS YOU AND I WILL SURELY MULTIPLY YOU.” [15] And so, having patiently waited, he obtained the promise."

Mark 9:23-24; Romans 4:20-21


III. A Divine Oath  vs. 16-18
     "For men swear by one greater than themselves , and with them an oath given as confirmation is an end of every dispute. [17] In the same way God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose, interposed with an oath, [18] so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us."

Hebrews 12:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4


IV.  A Divine Hope  vs. 19-20
      "This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil, [20] where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek."

1 Peter 2:9; 3:9; Ephesians 2:1; John 3:18; Ephesians 2:12; 1 John 5:19; Hebrews 2:3


Conclusion: Matthew 6:11, 33; 1 Peter 1:4; 1 John 5:4; 4:4


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