Sunday Sermon Outline: The Glory of God's Redemption

"The Glory of God's Redemption"
1 Thessalonians 2:13-20

Introduction: John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 4:2-4


I.  God's Word in His People v. 13
     “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
James 1:21; Hebrews 2:3; 12:25; Isaiah 55:10-11; John 8:31-32


II. God's People in the World vs. 14-18
     “[14] For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, [15] who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, [16] hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost. [17] But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. [18] For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us.”

1 Thessalonians 1:6; Acts 8:1; 2 Timothy 3:11-12; 2 Corinthians 1:3-5; 1 Peter 4:12-14


III. God's People in Heaven vs. 19-20
     “[19] For who is our hope or joy or crown of exultation? Is it not even you, in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? [20] For you are our glory and joy.” 

Matthew 10:34; Colossians 1:13; John 14:2-3


Conclusion: Philippians 3:20; Romans 8:16-18


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Sunday Sermon Outline: Encouragement to Endure Suffering

"Encouragement to Endure Suffering"
Romans 8:18-30


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


Romans 8:18-30, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. 26 And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And 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 whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”


I. We should be encouraged by the expectation of future glory. v. 18
     “… the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”


2 Timothy 3:12, "Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted."


II. We should be encouraged by the redemption of creation. vs. 19-25
     “For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one also hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”


III. We should be encouraged by the intercession of the Spirit. vs. 26-27 
     “And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”


IV. We should be encouraged by the cohesion of God's eternal plan. vs. 28-30
     “And 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 whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; 30 and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.”


Conclusion: v. 18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”




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Sunday Sermon Outline: James 5

“Patience in Suffering”
James 5

Introduction: 2 Timothy 3:12; 2 Thessalonians 1:4-5


I.  Warning to oppressors vs. 1-6
     “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. [2] Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. [3] Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! [4] Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. [5] You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. [6] You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.”

Matthew 19:24; 1 Timothy 6:9-10; 2 Peter 3:10


II. Encouragement to the oppressed vs. 7-12
     “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. [8] You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. [9] Do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. [10] As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. [11] We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful. [12] But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but your yes is to be yes, and your no, no, so that you may not fall under judgment.”

Revelation 6:10; 1 Corinthians 15:36; Isaiah 45:9-10; Jeremiah 4:3; Hosea 10:12


III. Wisdom to overcome oppression vs. 13-20
     “[13] Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. [14] Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; [15] and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. [16] Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. [17] Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. [18] Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit. [19] My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, [20] let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Ephesians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 12:7, 10; Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:7; Matthew 10:28; 1 Kings 17:3-6, 8-16; 18:17


Conclusion: James 5:19-20, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, [20] let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

Romans 6:6; Ephesians 5:9-11; Genesis 4:9; John 8:31-32; 2 Timothy 1:10; John 16:3


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"My God, My God, Why have You forsaken Me?"

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1).

Just imagine. Jesus, hanging on a cross, slowly and painfully dying. Every sin of the human race was upon Him. All the enmity of Satan was being brought to bear against Him. God the Father – in righteousness and justice – had no choice but to turn His face away from His only Son.

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

What man would not cry out in anguish in the midst of such suffering? How obvious that Jesus fully shared our humanity. As the divine Son of God, Jesus had always been in fellowship with His Father. Yet, because of sin, that eternal fellowship was broken. At that moment on the cross, Jesus was separated from His Father. Is it any wonder He cried out?

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

The entirety of the human race was represented on that cross – Jesus by His presence, and everyone else by their sins. Of that race, only Jesus deserved to live. He was the only One who had completely and thoroughly separated Himself from sin. He alone rejected every facet of that which belonged to the realm of Satan.

I have heard with my own ears men – elders, shepherds, church leaders – pray corporately, “Forgive us our many sins.” I have heard them as they stood before the flock, declaring, “I'm not perfect. I'm just a sinner – like we all are.” I have seen with my own eyes on church websites slogan after slogan stating, “We are just a group of imperfect people.”

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

Jesus said no. He refused. He would not sin. “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). So even though He was hungry and thirsty after forty days of fasting in the wilderness (Luke 4), still Jesus declined Satan's temptations. Even though He knew He would die horribly and bear the sin of the world, “He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). He accepted the weight of the world's wickedness and suffered the indignity of a public execution, rather than for one moment submit to sin.

So why has it become so common within the church to make excuses for sin? Why do we gloss over it? Why do we look the other way? When the elder prays, “Forgive us our many sins,” I have to ask what kind of life he has been living that would require such a prayer? According to God's word, an elder is to be “above reproach” (1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6). So why would such men constantly remind us of what sinners they are? In fact, all Christians – as the bride of Christ – are to be “holy and blameless” (Ephesians 1:4; 5:27; Colossians 1:22). The church is to be “sincere and blameless until the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:10). Those who are called saints are to be “blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation” (Philippians 2:15). It is Satan who wants us to be an “imperfect people.” God wants us to be “spotless and blameless” (2 Peter 3:14).

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

I have asked that question, but I have not suffered as Christ did. I hear the word of the Lord, “You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin” (Hebrews 12:4). Yes, I have lost friends and family members for the sake of Christ. Yes, I have lost homes and property. Yes, I have lost jobs. Yes, I have been persecuted. Yes, I have had entire congregations of people turn away from me. Yes, I have been run out of town. Yes, I have experienced hatred, lies and the gnashing of teeth. Yes, at times it feels as though the Lord has abandoned me entirely. But I have still not suffered what my Lord suffered. Therefore,“I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11). There is no excuse for the so-called people of God to tolerate wickedness, much less advertise it. Jesus turned His back on sin, and gave us an example to follow.

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

When the church gathers her collective voice and declares to the world her “imperfect” status, it is obvious that she has forgotten the presence of Christ's Holy Spirit, “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

God was forced by His holiness to turn away from His Son while bearing our stain of sin upon Him. But Jesus – even in such a horrid moment – would not turn away from His Father. The church must be reminded of her King's fortitude. What is so casually accepted in the assembly today ignores completely the warning of Scripture, “O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who forsake You will be put to shame. Those who turn away on earth will be written down, because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD” (Jeremiah 17:13).

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

How have we become so callous … so complacent? When temptations are set before us, we must refuse! “No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). When you feel the sting of sin and the attack of Satan, then you must take up “the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). But do not bow to sin … ever! And certainly there should never be a public recognition that imperfection reigns within the body of Christ. The command and promise of God has obviously been forgotten,“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

Thank God that those were not Christ's last words. Yes, He experienced human weakness and suffering. Yes, He experienced anguish and heartache. Yes, He was assaulted by hatred and abandoned to die alone. But His trust in His Father overcame every obstacle that Satan placed in His path.

“And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMIT MY SPIRIT.” Having said this, He breathed His last” (Luke 23:46).

Jesus' trust was well placed! “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. [9] For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Philippians 2:8-9).

In the face of such dedication, where do we find an excuse for sin? When will the church open her eyes and see the grand deception of Satan? “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

“My God, My God, Why have You forsaken us?” My question, not Christ's. Therefore, I will provide the answer: Because we have believed the lies that we must acclimatize to our communities ... that we must do whatever it takes to attract sinners … that we must be like everyone else … that everyone must like us.

That wasn't the example of our Savior. He refused to sin. He rejected it completely. He preferred death on a cross to fellowship with Satan. He would not bow to peer pressure, and He certainly wasn't worried about social standing.

“Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

No one wants to suffer, but it is preferable to surrendering to sin.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Paul's response should be our response: “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. [10] Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

“My God, My God, Why have you forsaken Me?”

Jesus did not submit to sin, but He submitted fully to His Father. We must so submit – not to the trials and temptations … not to the world and its works, but to “the author and perfecter of faith.”
“Let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, [2] fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

Praise God for a real Shepherd ... a great Shepherd who wants to lead us away from sin, even through the valley of the shadow of death, to a permanent place "in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13)!