Sunday Sermon Outline: Wrong is Always Wrong

“Wrong Is Always Wrong”
Isaiah 5:20

Introduction:  

Isaiah 5:20 (NAS), “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness …!” 

I. Wrong is always wrong … even if you don’t get caught.

Proverbs 15:3. “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” 

Hebrews 4:13, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” 

II. Wrong is always wrong … even if its for a good cause.

1 John 3:4, “everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” 

1 John 5:17, “All wrongdoing is sin.”

2 Samuel 6:7, “The Lord's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God.”

III. Wrong is always wrong … even if it doesn’t bother your conscience.

Hebrews 5:14, “solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”

IV. Wrong is always wrong … even if everyone else is doing it.

John 17:17, “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.” 

Exodus 23:2, “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.”

1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, “test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.”

1 John 4:1, “Dear friends, 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.” 

Conclusion:

1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

James 1:25 (NAS), “One who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.”

 

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Sunday Sermon Outline: The Lovingkindness of God

“The Lovingkindness of God”

Psalm 36
 

Introduction:
     Psalm 36, “Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For it flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. 3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. 4 He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil. 5 Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. 7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. 8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. 9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. 10 O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart. 11 Let not the foot of pride come upon me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the doers of iniquity have fallen; They have been thrust down and cannot rise.”
 

I. The Deceitfulness of Sin vs. 1-4 
 

“Transgression speaks to the ungodly within his heart; There is no fear of God before his eyes. 2 For it flatters him in his own eyes concerning the discovery of his iniquity and the hatred of it. 3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good. 4 He plans wickedness upon his bed; He sets himself on a path that is not good; He does not despise evil.”

“from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, … 23 All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean’” (Mark 7:21-23).

“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11).

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Hebrews 3:12-13, “See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.”

Luke 6:45, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.”

“Let those who love the LORD hate evil” (Psalm 97:10). “I will set before my eyes no vile thing. The deeds of faithless men I hate; they will not cling to me. 4 Men of perverse heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with evil” (Psalm 101:3-4). “I hate and abhor falsehood but I love Your law” (Psalm 119:163).

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9).

 

II. The Abundance of God vs. 5-10

“5 Your lovingkindness, O Lord, extends to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 6 Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; Your judgments are like a great deep. O Lord, You preserve man and beast. 7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Your wings. 8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house; And You give them to drink of the river of Your delights. 9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. 10 O continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.”

Psalm 57:1, “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.”

Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing.”

“Blessed are those You choose and bring near to live in Your courts! We are filled with the good things of Your house, of Your holy temple” (Psalm 65:4).

Isaiah 55:1-3, “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3 Give ear and come to Me; hear Me, that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, My faithful love [as] promised to David.”

“The LORD is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1). “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

III. The Choice of the Righteous vs. 11-12

“11 Let not the foot of pride come upon me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away. 12 There the doers of iniquity have fallen; They have been thrust down and cannot rise.”

2 Timothy 3:1-5, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.”

“… the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it” (Matthew 7:13).

2 Thessalonians 1:9-10, “those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power 10 on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.” 

Conclusion:

“We are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved” (Hebrews 10:39).

 

 

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Sunday Sermon Outline: How Serious is God?

How Serious is God?

I. God detests sin.

Genesis 2:17; 6:11; 19:24; Exodus 7-11; 14:27; Numbers 16:32, 49; 21:6

“I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” (Luke 12:5).

“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. [15] Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city” (Matthew 10:14-15).

“It will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you” (Matthew 11:22). “It will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you” (Matthew 11:24). “Repent or perish” (Luke 13:3, 5).

II. God is serious about sin.

“every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36)

“He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment” (John 16:8)?

Acts 5:1-10; “great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things” (Acts 5:11)

“the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18) … “because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:5).

“THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES” (Romans 3:18).

“If we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, [27] but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES” (Hebrews 10:26-27). “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

“Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1).

“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth” (1 Peter 1:17). “IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?” (1 Peter 4:18).

2 Peter 2 ... “false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. [2] Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; [3] and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. [4] For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment; [5] and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; [6] and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; [7] and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men [8] (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), [9] then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, [10] and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, [11] whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. [12] But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, [13] suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, [14] having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; [15] forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; [16] but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. [17] These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been reserved. [18] For speaking out arrogant words of vanity they entice by fleshly desires, by sensuality, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, [19] promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. [20] For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. [21] For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. [22] It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “A DOG RETURNS TO ITS OWN VOMIT,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.””

III. God wants His people to be serious about sin.

“an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; [25] the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you” (1 Corinthians 14:24-25).

Genesis 17:3; “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God” (Exodus 3:6); “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12)

“the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7) and “the beginning of wisdom” (Psalm 111:10; Proverbs 9:10).

"He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters" (Matthew 12:30).

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. [16] So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth" (Revelation 3:15-16).
 

Conclusion:

“By His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” (2 Peter 3:7).

“Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, [15] to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him”” (Jude 14-15).

“if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).



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Sunday Sermon Outlines: Five Things We Cannot Escape

“Five Things We Cannot Escape”

1. We cannot escape personal responsibility.

Matthew 27:22-24,  “"What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called Christ?" Pilate asked. They all answered, "Crucify him!" 23 "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate. But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" 24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. "I am innocent of this man's blood," he said. "It is your responsibility!"”
 

“In the past God overlooked … ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30). 

 

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

 

2. We cannot escape our influence on those around us.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).

John 3:20-21, “Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.”

3. We cannot escape the consequences of sin.

Galatians 6:7-8, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”

Romans 2:6-11, “God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil … 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good … 11 For God does not show favoritism.”

Numbers 32:23, “If you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.” 

 

4. We cannot escape death.

Psalm 89:48, “What man can live and not see death, or save himself from the power of the grave?”

“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). “The soul who sins is the one who will die. The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him” (Ezekiel 18:20).

“To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7). “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14).

“man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). 

 

5. We cannot escape the Judgment.
 

“Here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

“We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent His Son to be the Savior of the world. 15 If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. 16 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him” (1 John 4:13-17).
 

Conclusion:

“We will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before Me; every tongue will confess to God.'" 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:10-12).

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Sunday Sermon Outline: The Parable of the Potter

“The Parable of the Potter”

Jeremiah 18:1-17

 

Introduction:

    Genesis 1:26, “Let Us make man in Our image, in Our likeness …”
    “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life” (1 John 2:16).
    “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3).

    “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

    2 Corinthians 11:2-3, “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”


I. The Crafting of Clay vs. 1-6
    “This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: 2 "Go down to the potter's house, and there I will give you My message." 3 So I went down to the potter's house, and I saw him working at the wheel. 4 But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it as seemed best to him. 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 6 "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.”

    Genesis 1:27, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”
    “sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:13)

    “the cravings of our sinful nature” (Ephesians 2:3). 

    “Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! They have forsaken the LORD; they have spurned the Holy One of Israel and turned their backs on Him” (Isaiah 1:4).
    Jeremiah 31:31-33, “"The time is coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. 32 It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke My covenant, though I was a husband to them, … 33 This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be My people."” 

    “No one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins” (Mark 2:22). 

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

 

II. The Correction of Conduct vs. 7-10
    “7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in My sight and does not obey Me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.”

 

III. The Chastising of Callousness vs. 11-17
    “11 Now therefore say to the people of Judah and those living in Jerusalem, 'This is what the LORD says: Look! I am preparing a disaster for you and devising a plan against you. So turn from your evil ways, each one of you, and reform your ways and your actions.' 12 But they will reply, 'It's no use. We will continue with our own plans; each of us will follow the stubbornness of his evil heart.'" 13 Therefore this is what the LORD says: "Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard anything like this? A most horrible thing has been done by Virgin Israel. 14 Does the snow of Lebanon ever vanish from its rocky slopes? Do its cool waters from distant sources ever cease to flow? 15 Yet My people have forgotten Me; they burn incense to worthless idols, which made them stumble in their ways and in the ancient paths. They made them walk in bypaths and on roads not built up. 16 Their land will be laid waste, an object of lasting scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and will shake their heads. 17 Like a wind from the east, I will scatter them before their enemies; I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their disaster."”

    “This people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them” (Matthew 13:15).
 

 

Conclusion:
    “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” (Acts 3:19).

    “[Take] off your old self with its practices 10 and … put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” (Colossians 3:9-10).

    “For we are God's [the Potter’s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). 

    “If a man cleanses himself from [sinful] things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21).

 

 

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Sunday Sermon Outline: Everything will be destroyed!

“Everything will be destroyed”
2 Peter 3:11-14

Introduction:
    2 Peter 3:7, “by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.” 

    2 Peter 3:11-14, “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless by Him, at peace.”

I. We should change our behavior. v. 11
    “Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”

II. We should want the destruction to happen quickly. v. 12
    “looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!" 

Philippians 4:11, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.” 
Revelation 22:15, “Outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral persons, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices lying.”
Revelation 22:20. “Yes, I am coming quickly.” “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”

III. We should look forward to our permanent home. v. 13
    “But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.”

IV. We should actively work to make peace with God. v. 14
    “Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found spotless and blameless by Him, at peace.”

Romans 5:1-11, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we also have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we celebrate in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. 6 For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous person; though perhaps for the good person someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also celebrate in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”

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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: Superficial Healing

“Superficial Healing”
Jeremiah 6:14
 

I. Bad Leaders

    Jeremiah 2:8, “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; The rulers also transgressed against Me, And the prophets prophesied by Baal And walked after things that did not profit.”

II. Bad Followers

     Jeremiah 4:22, “For My people are foolish, They know Me not; They are stupid children And have no understanding. They are shrewd to do evil, But to do good they do not know.”
    Jeremiah 5:1, “Roam to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And look now and take note. And seek in her open squares, If you can find a man, If there is one who does justice, who seeks truth, Then I will pardon her.”
    Jeremiah 6:10, “To whom shall I speak and give warning That they may hear? Behold, their ears are closed And they cannot listen. Behold, the word of the LORD has become a reproach to them; They have no delight in it.”  

   Jeremiah 6:11-12, “'I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary with holding it in. Pour it out on the children in the street and on the gathering of young men together; for both husband and wife shall be taken, the aged and the very old. [12] Their houses shall be turned over to others, their fields and their wives together; for I will stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land,' declares the LORD.”
     Jeremiah 7:25, “Since the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have sent you all My servants the prophets, daily rising early and sending them.”
    Jeremiah 6:13, “For from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is greedy for gain; And from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely.”

III. Bad Message
    Jeremiah 6:14, “They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there is no peace.”
    James 3:1, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.”

Conclusion:
    Colossians 1:19-23, “it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in [Jesus Christ], [20] and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross ... [21] And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, [22] yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach— [23] if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard ...”


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Sunday Sermon Outline: Listen and Do!

“Listen & Do”
2 Kings 22:8-20


Introduction: Matthew 7:22-27, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”


I. The Declaration of God vs. 8-13
     “Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, “I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan who read it. 9 Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
     11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes. 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Micaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king’s servant saying, 13 “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.””


     A. Recognition of Truth, v. 11
     "When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes."


     John 17:17; 1 John 4:1, 6


     B. Realization of Sin, v. 13
     “Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us.”


     Luke 15:20-24


II. The Decision of Man vs. 14-20
     “So Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to Huldah the prophetess, the wife of Shallum the son of Tikvah, the son of Harhas, keeper of the wardrobe (now she lived in Jerusalem in the Second Quarter); and they spoke to her. 15 She said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Tell the man who sent you to me, 16 thus says the Lord, “Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’ 18 But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord thus shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard, 19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. 20 “Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.”


     A. Rejection Brings Wrath, vs. 16-17
     “thus says the Lord, “Behold, I bring evil on this place and on its inhabitants, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read. 17 Because they have forsaken Me and have burned incense to other gods that they might provoke Me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore My wrath burns against this place, and it shall not be quenched.”’


     Ephesians 2:2; 5:6; John 3:36; Hebrews 3:7-11; 4:2; James 2:14; Hebrews 4:11-13


     B. Repentance Brings Peace, vs. 18-20
     “But to the king of Judah who sent you to inquire of the Lord thus shall you say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Regarding the words which you have heard, 19 because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the Lord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I truly have heard you,” declares the Lord. 20 “Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see all the evil which I will bring on this place.”’” So they brought back word to the king.”


     2 Peter 3:9; Luke 1:77-79; John 16:33


Conclusion: “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). “Once made perfect, He became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).




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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.  


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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.”


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Sunday Sermon Outline: Daniel 12

“Solid Faith in a Shaky World”
When they call for religion
Daniel 12

I. The Ministry of Michael vs. 1-4
     “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. 3 Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. 4 But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

II. The Failure of the Flesh vs. 5-7
     “5 Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. 6 And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” 7 I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.”

III. The Relief of the Righteous vs. 8-13
     “8 As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. 10 Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. 11 From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! 13 But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age.”


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Sunday Sermon Outline: Daniel 9

“Solid Faith in a Shaky World”
When they call for individuality
Daniel 9

I. An Admission of Sin vs.1-11
     “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, “Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments, 5 we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances. 6 Moreover, we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.””
     “7 “Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us open shame, as it is this day—to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You. 8 Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You. 9 To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets. 11 Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him.”

II. An Appeal for Mercy vs. 12-19
      “12 Thus He has confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem. 13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth. 14 Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.”
     “15 “And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked. 16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us. 17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary. 18 O my God, incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion. 19 O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.””

III. An Administration of Justice vs. 20-27
     “20 Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, 21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.”
     “24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.””


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Sunday Sermon Outline: Romans 7

Romans 7
The Jurisdiction of Faith


I. The Bond of Marriage vs. 1-4
     “Or do you not know, brethren (for I am speaking to those who know the law), that the law has jurisdiction over a person as long as he lives? 2 For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. 3 So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man. 4 Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God.”


II. The Bond of Law vs. 5-13
     “5 For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law, were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death. 6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. 7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “You shall not covet.” 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; 10 and this commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; 11 for sin, taking an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. 12 So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. 13 Therefore did that which is good become a cause of death for me? May it never be! Rather it was sin, in order that it might be shown to be sin by effecting my death through that which is good, so that through the commandment sin would become utterly sinful.”


III. The Bond of Sin vs. 14-25
     “14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”  


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Sunday Sermon Outline: John 8:1-11

John 8:1-11
Dealing with the Problem of Sin

I.   Education vs. 1-2
     “But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning He came again into the temple, and all the people were coming to Him; and He sat down and began to teach them.”


II. Accusation vs. 3-6a
     “3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, and having set her in the center of the court, 4 they said to Him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?” 6 They were saying this, testing Him, so that they might have grounds for accusing Him.”


III. Examination vs. 6b-9
     “But Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they persisted in asking Him, He straightened up, and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again He stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 When they heard it, they began to go out one by one, beginning with the older ones, and He was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the center of the court.”


IV. Determination vs. 10-11
     “10 Straightening up, Jesus said to her, “Woman, where are they? Did no one condemn you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “I do not condemn you, either. Go. From now on sin no more.””





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Sunday Sermon Outline: Jeremiah 52

Jeremiah 52

The Fall of Jerusalem

I. The Seige of Jerusalem vs. 1-11

      A. Zedekiah's Sin vs. 1-3

      “Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem; and his mother's name was Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. [2] He did evil in the sight of the LORD like all that Jehoiakim had done. [3] For through the anger of the LORD this came about in Jerusalem and Judah until He cast them out from His presence. And Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.”

     B. Zedekiah's Shame vs. 4-7

      “[4] Now it came about in the ninth year of his reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, camped against it and built a siege wall all around it. [5] So the city was under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. [6] On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land. [7] Then the city was broken into, and all the men of war fled and went forth from the city at night by way of the gate between the two walls which was by the king's garden, though the Chaldeans were all around the city. And they went by way of the Arabah.”

     C. Zedekiah's Suffering vs. 8-11

      “[8] But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho, and all his army was scattered from him. [9] Then they captured the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah in the land of Hamath, and he passed sentence on him. [10] The king of Babylon slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and he also slaughtered all the princes of Judah in Riblah. [11] Then he blinded the eyes of Zedekiah; and the king of Babylon bound him with bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon and put him in prison until the day of his death.”

II. The Destruction of the City vs. 12-16

      “[12]  Now on the tenth day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the bodyguard, who was in the service of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. [13] He burned the house of the LORD, the king's house and all the houses of Jerusalem; even every large house he burned with fire. [14] So all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down all the walls around Jerusalem.”

      “[15] Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away into exile some of the poorest of the people, the rest of the people who were left in the city, the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon and the rest of the artisans. [16] But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen.”

III. The Looting of the Temple vs. 13-23

      “[17]  Now the bronze pillars which belonged to the house of the LORD and the stands and the bronze sea, which were in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans broke in pieces and carried all their bronze to Babylon. [18] They also took away the pots, the shovels, the snuffers, the basins, the pans and all the bronze vessels which were used in temple service. [19] The captain of the guard also took away the bowls, the firepans, the basins, the pots, the lampstands, the pans and the drink offering bowls, what was fine gold and what was fine silver.”

      “[20] The two pillars, the one sea, and the twelve bronze bulls that were under the sea, and the stands, which King Solomon had made for the house of the LORD —the bronze of all these vessels was beyond weight. [21] As for the pillars, the height of each pillar was eighteen cubits, and it was twelve cubits in circumference and four fingers in thickness, and hollow. [22] Now a capital of bronze was on it; and the height of each capital was five cubits, with network and pomegranates upon the capital all around, all of bronze. And the second pillar was like these, including pomegranates. [23] There were ninety-six exposed pomegranates; all the pomegranates numbered a hundred on the network all around.”

IV. The Replacement of the Leadership vs. 24-34

      A. Execution of the Shepherds vs. 24-27

      “[24]  Then the captain of the guard took Seraiah the chief priest and Zephaniah the second priest, with the three officers of the temple. [25] He also took from the city one official who was overseer of the men of war, and seven of the king's advisers who were found in the city, and the scribe of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city. [26] Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard took them and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. [27] Then the king of Babylon struck them down and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was led away into exile from its land.” 

 

      B. Deportation of the Sheep vs. 28-30

      “[28] These are the people whom Nebuchadnezzar carried away into exile: in the seventh year 3,023 Jews; [29] in the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar 832 persons from Jerusalem; [30] in the twenty-third year of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile 745 Jewish people; there were 4,600 persons in all.” 

 

      C. Elevation of the King vs. 31-34

      “[31]  Now it came about in the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, showed favor to Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison. [32] Then he spoke kindly to him and set his throne above the thrones of the kings who were with him in Babylon. [33] So Jehoiachin changed his prison clothes, and had his meals in the king's presence regularly all the days of his life. [34] For his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king of Babylon, a daily portion all the days of his life until the day of his death.”

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Sunday Sermon Outline: Jeremiah 21

Jeremiah 21
“Searching for Salvation”

I.  The Sinners' Prayer vs. 1-2
     “The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur the son of Malchijah, and Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, saying, 2 “Please inquire of the Lord on our behalf, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is warring against us; perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all His wonderful acts, so that [the enemy] will withdraw from us.””


II. The Sword vs. 3-7
     “3 Then Jeremiah said to them, “You shall say to Zedekiah as follows: 4 ‘Thus says the Lord God of Israel, “Behold, I am about to turn back the weapons of war which are in your hands, with which you are warring against the king of Babylon and the Chaldeans who are besieging you outside the wall; and I will gather them into the center of this city. 5 I Myself will war against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, even in anger and wrath and great indignation. 6 I will also strike down the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast; they will die of a great pestilence. 7 Then afterwards,” declares the Lord, “I will give over Zedekiah king of Judah and his servants and the people, even those who survive in this city from the pestilence, the sword and the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their foes and into the hand of those who seek their lives; and he will strike them down with the edge of the sword. He will not spare them nor have pity nor compassion.”’”


III. Surrender vs. 8-10
     “8 “You shall also say to this people, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. 9 He who dwells in this city will die by the sword and by famine and by pestilence; but he who goes out and falls away to the Chaldeans who are besieging you will live, and he will have his own life as booty. 10 For I have set My face against this city for harm and not for good,” declares the Lord. “It will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon and he will burn it with fire.”’”


IV. Service vs. 11-12
     “11 “Then say to the household of the king of Judah, ‘Hear the word of the Lord, 12 O house of David, thus says the Lord: “Administer justice every morning; and deliver the person who has been robbed from the power of his oppressor, that My wrath may not go forth like fire and burn with none to extinguish it, because of the evil of their deeds.”


V. The Scorching vs. 13-14
     “13 “Behold, I am against you, O valley dweller, O rocky plain,” declares the Lord, “You men who say, ‘Who will come down against us? Or who will enter into our habitations?’ 14 “But I will punish you according to the results of your deeds,” declares the Lord, “and I will kindle a fire in its forest that it may devour all its environs.”’”


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Sunday Sermon Outline: Jeremiah 3

Jeremiah 3
“An Opportunity to Return”

I.  A Guilty Wife vs. 1-10
     “God says, “If a husband divorces his wife and she goes from him and belongs to another man, will he still return to her? Will not that land be completely polluted? But you are a harlot with many lovers; yet you turn to Me,” declares the LORD. [2] Lift up your eyes to the bare heights and see; where have you not been violated? By the roads you have sat for them like an Arab in the desert, and you have polluted a land with your harlotry and with your wickedness. [3] Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no spring rain. Yet you had a harlot's forehead; you refused to be ashamed. [4] Have you not just now called to Me, ‘My Father, You are the friend of my youth? [5] Will He be angry forever? Will He be indignant to the end?’ Behold, you have spoken and have done evil things, and you have had your way.” [6] Then the LORD said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen what faithless Israel did? She went up on every high hill and under every green tree, and she was a harlot there. [7] I thought, ‘After she has done all these things she will return to Me’; but she did not return, and her treacherous sister Judah saw it. [8] And I saw that for all the adulteries of faithless Israel, I had sent her away and given her a writ of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah did not fear; but she went and was a harlot also. [9] Because of the lightness of her harlotry, she polluted the land and committed adultery with stones and trees. [10] Yet in spite of all this her treacherous sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but rather in deception,” declares the LORD.”

Mark 10:27; Isaiah 48:4; Ezekiel 3:7


II. A Gracious Invitation vs. 11-14
     “[11] And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has proved herself more righteous than treacherous Judah. [12] Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,’ declares the LORD; ‘I will not be angry forever. [13] Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the LORD your God and have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree, and you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the LORD. [14] Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the LORD; ‘For I am a master to you, and I will take you one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.’”


III. A Grand Inheritance vs. 15-19
     “[15] “Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. [16] It shall be in those days when you are multiplied and increased in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will no longer say, ‘The ark of the covenant of the LORD.’ And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again. [17] At that time they will call Jerusalem ‘The Throne of the LORD,’ and all the nations will be gathered to it, to Jerusalem, for the name of the LORD; nor will they walk anymore after the stubbornness of their evil heart. [18] In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your fathers as an inheritance. [19] Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons and give you a pleasant land, the most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father, and not turn away from following Me.’”

Galatians 4:24-31


IV. A Great Confession vs. 20-25
     “[20] “Surely, as a woman treacherously departs from her lover, so you have dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD. [21] A voice is heard on the bare heights, the weeping and the supplications of the sons of Israel; because they have perverted their way, they have forgotten the LORD their God. [22] Return, O faithless sons, I will heal your faithlessness.” 
     “Behold, we come to You; for You are the LORD our God. [23] Surely, the hills are a deception, a tumult on the mountains. Surely in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. [24] But the shameful thing has consumed the labor of our fathers since our youth, their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. [25] Let us lie down in our shame, and let our humiliation cover us; for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even to this day. And we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.””


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Sunday Sermon Outline: Jeremiah 2

Jeremiah 2
“An Unfaithful Wife”

I.  Her sin cannot be excused. vs. 1-3
     “Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, [2] “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD, “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth, the love of your betrothals, your following after Me in the wilderness, through a land not sown. [3] Israel was holy to the LORD, the first of His harvest. All who ate of it became guilty; Evil came upon them,” declares the LORD.’””

Exodus 19:5-6


II. Her sin cannot be explained. vs. 4-12 
     “Hear the word of the LORD, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. [5] Thus says the LORD, “What injustice did your fathers find in Me, that they went far from Me and walked after emptiness and became empty? [6] They did not say, ‘Where is the LORD Who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of deep darkness, through a land that no one crossed and where no man dwelt?’ [7] I brought you into the fruitful land to eat its fruit and its good things. But you came and defiled My land, and My inheritance you made an abomination. [8] The priests did not say, ‘Where is the LORD?’ And those who handle the law did not know Me; the rulers also transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal and walked after things that did not profit.””

     “Therefore I will yet contend with you,” declares the LORD, “And with your sons’ sons I will contend.””

     “[10] For cross to the coastlands of Kittim and see, and send to Kedar and observe closely and see if there has been such a thing as this! [11] Has a nation changed gods when they were not gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. [12] Be appalled, O heavens, at this, and shudder, be very desolate,” declares the LORD.” 


III. Her sin cannot be defended. vs. 13-19 
     “[13] “For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water. [14] Is Israel a slave? Or is he a homeborn servant? Why has he become a prey? [15] The young lions have roared at him, they have roared loudly. And they have made his land a waste; his cities have been destroyed, without inhabitant. [16] Also the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved the crown of your head. [17] Have you not done this to yourself by your forsaking the LORD your God when He led you in the way? [18] But now what are you doing on the road to Egypt, to drink the waters of the Nile? Or what are you doing on the road to Assyria, to drink the waters of the Euphrates? [19] Your own wickedness will correct you, and your apostasies will reprove you; know therefore and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God, and the dread of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord GOD of hosts.”

John 4:13; Exodus 4:22


IV. Her sin cannot be denied. vs. 20-30 
     “[20] “For long ago I broke your yoke and tore off your bonds; but you said, ‘I will not serve!’ For on every high hill and under every green tree you have lain down as a harlot. [21] “Yet I planted you a choice vine, a completely faithful seed. How then have you turned yourself before Me into the degenerate shoots of a foreign vine? [22] Although you wash yourself with lye and use much soap, the stain of your iniquity is before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.”

1 John 1:7

     “[23] How can you say, ‘I am not defiled, I have not gone after the Baals’? Look at your way in the valley! Know what you have done! You are a swift young camel entangling her ways, [24] a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness, that sniffs the wind in her passion. In the time of her heat who can turn her away? All who seek her will not become weary; in her month they will find her. [25] Keep your feet from being unshod and your throat from thirst; but you said, ‘It is hopeless! No! For I have loved strangers, and after them I will walk.’ [26] As the thief is shamed when he is discovered, so the house of Israel is shamed; they, their kings, their princes and their priests and their prophets, [27] who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to Me, and not their face; but in the time of their trouble they will say, ‘Arise and save us.’ [28] But where are your gods which you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you in the time of your trouble; for according to the number of your cities are your gods, O Judah. [29] Why do you contend with Me? You have all transgressed against Me,” declares the LORD. [30] “In vain I have struck your sons; they accepted no chastening. Your sword has devoured your prophets like a destroying lion.”


Conclusion: vs. 31-37, “[31] O generation, heed the word of the LORD. Have I been a wilderness to Israel, or a land of thick darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will no longer come to You’? [32] Can a virgin forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me days without number. [33] How well you prepare your way to seek love! Therefore even the wicked women you have taught your ways. [34] “Also on your skirts is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor; you did not find them breaking in. But in spite of all these things, [35] yet you said, ‘I am innocent; surely His anger is turned away from me.’ Behold, I will enter into judgment with you because you say, ‘I have not sinned.’ [36] Why do you go around so much changing your way? Also, you will be put to shame by Egypt as you were put to shame by Assyria. [37] From this place also you will go out with your hands on your head; for the LORD has rejected those in whom you trust, and you will not prosper with them.”


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