Sunday Sermon Outline: The Parable of the Dinner

Luke 14:16-24

The Parable of the Dinner

 

Introduction:

Luke 14:16-24, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; [17] and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ [18] But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ [19] Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ [20] Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ [21] And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ [22] And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ [23] And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. [24] For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

Luke 14:1, “went into the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees on the Sabbath to eat bread.”
 

I. The Places of Honor

 

“noticed how they had been picking out the places of honor at the table” (Luke 14:7). 

 

II. The People of Honor

 

“When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment” (Luke 14:12).

“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). 

 

III. The Purpose of Honor
 

“those who hunger and thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6)? 

 

Hebrews 5:12, “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.”

“I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance” (Luke 5:32). 

 

Matthew 21:31-32, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. [32] For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.” 

Conclusion:

“How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? [30] For we know Him who said, “VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.” And again, “THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.” [31] It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:29-31).

 

 

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Sunday Sermon Outline: John 4:1-42

“The Samaritan Seminar”
John 4:1-42

Introduction: 1 Corinthians 9:16-17, 22-23

I.   OUR NEED: TO BUILD BRIDGES vs. 1-9 
     “The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. 4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there, and Jesus, tired as He was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. 7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?" 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)”


II. OUR PURPOSE: TO OFFER LIVING WATER vs. 10-15
     “10 Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." 11 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" 13 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." 15 The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water."”


III. OUR LIFESTYLE: TO WORSHIP GOD vs. 16-26
     "16 He told her, "Go, call your husband and come back." 17 "I have no husband," she replied. Jesus said to her, "You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true." 19 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." 21 Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." 25 The woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." 26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he."”


IV. OUR ATTITUDE: TO BE URGENT vs. 27-42
     “27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, "What do you want?" or "Why are you talking with her?" 28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, 29 "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him. 31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, "Rabbi, eat something." 32 But he said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 Then his disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought him food?" 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." 
     39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me everything I ever did." [40] So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. [41] Many more believed because of His word; [42] and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.””


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Sunday Sermon Outline: Colossians 4:2-6

Colossians 4:2-6
"Real Communication"

I.   As Christians, it is essential that we talk with God.  vs. 2-4
     “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; [3] praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; [4] that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.” 

Matthew 6:33


II.  As Christians, it is essential that we talk with others.  vs. 5-6
      “[5] Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. [6] Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.” 

Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 Corinthians 3:10-11; 2 Timothy 4:2


Conclusion: Colossians 3:16-17


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One Purpose

Philippians 2:2 speaks of “being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” This verse seems fairly simple to understand, because all of it is understood by applying Christ. The “same mind” is the mind of Christ. The “same love” is the love of Christ. We are “united” by Christ's Spirit. Therefore, our “one purpose” also has to do with Christ.

It would be easy to say – as many ministers teach – that our purpose is Christ's purpose, to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:17). Because of such verses – and because of the commission accounts that Jesus spoke to His apostles – it is thought that our “one purpose” is salvation … soul-winning … evangelism. But is that true? Salvation was God's reason for sending His Son to this earth, but Jesus declared as He drew near to death on the cross, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

While I am not belittling the importance of evangelism, I do not believe it is our “one purpose.” Soul-winning is a byproduct of our purpose, but not the purpose itself. It is this misunderstanding which has led the modern church astray in it's thrust to do whatever is necessary to bring people in.

Salvation was Christ's work, completed on the cross. But concerning us, He said, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). This was the work that was intended to remain, even after He ascended back into heaven … the building of the church.

“That's what we do!” some say. “We build churches!” And indeed there are many church planting bodies which secure buildings, provide leaders and people, establish services, and begin new congregations. Is that what Jesus meant though? Is our purpose just to flood the streets with more and more congregations?

How about first examining what is NOT our job? It is not our job (elders) to make decisions for the body. “Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body” (Ephesians 5:22). Jesus is the One with “all authority” (Matthew 28:18), therefore church leaders need to stop acting as if they have some power base.

Second, it is not our job to lay a foundation for the church, because it's already been done. God's household has been “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20). Yet when churches proceed to write THEIR books … the cathechisms, the books of discipline, the bylaws, the organizational charts, the vision plans, etc. … they are saying in effect that the Bible is NOT sufficient to meet those tasks.

So what is our “one purpose”? Ephesians 5:25-27 says that Jesus “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.” Jesus sacrificed Himself for us. Jesus cleansed us. What was His goal? To prepare His bride for heaven.

Today's services see lots of people shaking hands and making friends. We see people clapping their hands and singing their praise songs. We see them all bow their heads while someone prays for Aunt Suzie's cancer treatments. We hear the preacher preach about the good works we can do in our community. We take up an offering to pay for all our ministers, secretaries and missionaries. We take up a special collection to send our youth group to Six Flags. We gather midweek for a Bible study and some cheesecake. There are even a few people left over who drop by the church on Saturday for the work day.

What do any of these things have to do with preparing the bride of Christ for heaven? Which of those things make us more holy or more blameless? Which of these things prove to the world that we have been sanctified – set apart – for a special and unique purpose? I believe those things serve the opposite purpose. They do nothing but make us more like the world, and less like Christ. If our mind is on our favorite style of music, or our friends, or our stomachs, or our kids' fun time … then it is not on how to please Christ our husband.

If there is soul-winning to be accomplished, it will be done because we are salt and light in our communities. Our “bait and switch” techniques and the “carnival barker” atmosphere we have created within our congregations will never produce real growth. The answer to bringing people into the church (not a building) is not to be like them, but to be like Christ. They will not join us because they see that we are just like everyone else, but because we stand out from everyone else.

“We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. [29] For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:28-29). Are we becoming “conformed to the image of His Son”? There are churches declaring themselves as “imperfect people” and “sinners,” yet the word of the Lord says, “God has not called us for the purpose of impurity, but in sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:7).

“Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness” (1 Timothy 4:7), says the apostle. “... in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe” (1 Timothy 4:12). I have heard within the church the profanity and coarse jesting of elders and members alike. I have seen within the church adultery and immorality, gossip and slander. I have witnessed arguments, divisiveness, hatred and the literal gnashing of teeth. I have seen those who call themselves Christians fall away from Christ at the slightest sign of trouble. I have watched as people turned their ears away from the truth of God to listen to the whisperings of mere men. I have seen countless lives on display, but none that can be described with the word “purity.” And these are the “examples” for a community that needs to know Christ?

One purpose. Just one … and we can't even get that right. Just be the bride. Act every day as if you are wearing white robes (Revelation 7:9, 13) and you must not get them dirty! Your husband, Christ, is coming back. Be ready when He gets here. That's our one purpose … to prepare for the return of Christ.

“But what about soul-winning?” ask those who have been brainwashed by the Bible colleges. What do you think will happen if we start acting like Christ? What will happen if start living what we preach? Do you really think the sheep in the pasture has to be told how to procreate? Does the shepherd gather them together to give them a seminar on the subject? #sigh #readthebiblepeople

“I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. [11] For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes the things sown in it to spring up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations” (Isaiah 61:10-11).

One purpose, people. Be the bride.