SERMON SEEDS I25 FOR 9/19/05
Posted by: jpeters <jpeters@...>
SERMON SEEDS FOR SEPTEMBER 19, 2005
***************************************************************************
TO SUBSCRIBE - Send a blank e-mail to: sermonseeds-subscribe@welovegod.org
TO UNSUBSCRIBE - Send a blank e-mail to: sermonseeds-unsubscribe@welovegod.org
***************************************************************************
PASTOR MAIL is a mailing list for male pastors. The purpose of the list is to share sermons, outlines, illustrations and prayer requests. To subscribe send a blank email to pastormail-subscribe@associate.com
MOUNT UNION ECHOES is a mailing list that includes a full text sermon from Pastor Jack Peters. To subscribe send a blank email to mountunionechoes-subscribe@welovegod.org
***********************************************************************************
Joshua 15:13-19
GOD'S INCENTIVE PLAN
People use all sorts of incentives to get us to do things or buy things.
There is the "free gift" if you make a purchase.
There is the commission earned by sales people.
There the reward offered for information leading to the arrest of
criminals.
God also uses incentive plans. We should need no incentive to serve the
God that has saved us when we placed our faith in the finished work of
Christ. However, God has chosen to reward those who are faithful to Him.
The story of Caleb using an incentive plan to capture the city of Debir
is also a reminder of God's incentive plan.
Caleb had received from Joshua, the inheritance God had promised.
(Joshua 14:10-15)
GOD'S INCENTIVE PLAN INVOLVES OTHERS Vss. 13-16
Caleb conquered Hebron.
Caleb was fully capable of conquering Debir by himself, but chose to
involve others. God is fully of capable of accomplishing His work, but
has chosen to involve Christians. See Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Corinthians
1:21, Matthew 5:16, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Peter 4:10-11
GOD'S INCENTIVE PLAN INCLUDES REWARDS Vss. 16-17
Caleb offered his daughter as reward for a job well done. Othniel was
the one who earned the reward by taking Debir.
God offers rewards for jobs well done. They are called "crowns."
James 1:12, Revelation 2:10, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, 1 Thessalonians
2:19-20, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 1 Peter 5:1-4
GOD'S INCENTIVE PLAN INSPIRES PRAYER Vss. 18-19
Othniel is encouraged by his wife to ask Caleb for a field. After than
she is secure enough to ask of a loving father springs which would
water that field. She was given more than she asked.
Our Heavenly Father includes us in His work and rewards us. He also
encourages us to pray, so that we will be empowered to get the job
done. Matthew 7:7-11
SERMON SEEDS A31
****************************************************************************
Psalm 130
GROWING IN GRACE
2 Peter 3:18 - But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.
Psalm 130 gives us three steps for growing in grace.
1. DEPTHS OF DESPAIR Vss. 1-2
2. DELIVERANCE FROM SIN Vss. 3-4
3. DEPENDENCE ON GOD Vss. 5-8
****************************************************************************
Proverbs 7
THE END OF PURITY
In this chapter we have the story of a young man who lost his sexual purity. Solomon writes this man's story as an eyewitness.
WRONG PRIORITIES - Vss. 1-7
Vss. 6-7 - This young man was "void of understanding". He did not have the right priorities for remaining pure that are listed in Vss. 1-5. Practicing Vss. 1-5 would have kept this young man in the time of temptation.
WRONG PLACE - Vss. 8-9
The best way to not let temptation get the best of you is to avoid it.
This man was headed towards the wrong place at the wrong time of day. 1 Thessalonians 5:22
We must be careful to avoid the wrong places where temptation is present. Pornography in books and on screen should be especially avoided. Psalm 101:3
WRONG PERSON - Vss. 10-20
This was not the type of person that the young man should have been listening to. He should have followed the example of Joseph in Genesis 39:7-13 who ran from temptation.
WRONG PRACTICE - Vss. 21-27
The result of wrong priorities is being in the wrong place.
The result of being in the wrong place is meeting the wrong people.
The result of listening to wrong people is the wrong practice.
The young man's purity was gone!
SERMON SEEDS D1
****************************************************************************
Luke 4:14-30
HOMETOWN HERO?
Life of Christ #14
You can imagine the surprise of the local folks in Nazareth when the "boy" they watched grow up now presented himself as a religious teacher and as the Messiah, when Jesus came back for a visit to his hometown.
I think that many people in America consider Jesus as a hometown hero. After all weve heard about him all our lives. We are familiar in many ways with his life, miracles, and teachings. And usually we are even glad to hear others mention Him in a favorable light.
However we need to be careful that we dont end up treating the Lord Jesus in some of the same ways they did in His hometown. It is very easy to become like the hometown folk of Nazareth that ended up treating Jesus with unbelief, disrespect, and resentment.
It was at this time that Jesus decided to pay a visit to the old hometown. There are lessons to be learned from this visit, not the least of which is that we should not treat the Lord Jesus the way the hometown folks treated him.
JESUS' CUSTOM - TO ATTEND CHURCH - Vs. 16
Vs. 16 Let me ask you a question.
Was Jesus God when He came to earth?
Mark 1:1 - The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
John 1:1-2 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] The same was in the beginning with God.
Of course, Jesus was and is God!
This verse tells us that Jesus attended synagogue, which is the Jewish equivalent of church! Services were held in Jewish synagogues both in and out of Israel on the Sabbath Day.
How often did Jesus attend church? It was His custom! He went to synagogue whether He was preaching or not!
Now lets get this straight.
Jesus is God!
God went to church regularly.
Some of you find it very easy to find something more important to do on a Sunday Morning, but God the Son attended church regularly!
JESUS' COMMUNICATION - THE WORD OF GOD - Vss. 17-19
I believe that the synagogue was packed that day!
The hometown boy was there.
The leader of the synagogue would have asked him, as a guest teacher, to read the Word of God.
When Jesus shared the Word of God, He did it for a purpose.
His purpose was to communicate truth.
Vs. 17 Jesus was given the Book of Isaiah, a book of prophecy. Jesus found a specific spot in the Book, Isaiah 61:1-2, and read it.
This prophecy was about himself as the Messiah.
Vss. 18-19 - READ
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, - Of course the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit was upon the Lord Jesus. Whatever He did, He did in the power of the Holy Spirit. Luke 3:21-22, 4:1, 4:14
because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; - The Gospel is the Good News.
The Good News has always been for the poor, the poor in Spirit, whether someone is rich or poor physically.
Matthew 5:3 - Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
A person who is poor in Spirit acknowledges his or sin and grieves over it.
A person who is poor in spirit realizes that he is not good enough to enter into Heaven.
A person who is poor in spirit humbles himself, and comes to the Lord Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life.
The Good News that Jesus preached can be summed up with the words of a very familiar Scripture verse. John 3:16
he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, - Jesus healed the brokenhearted on many an occasion.
· He healed those who were brokenhearted by illness and death.
· He healed those who were brokenhearted by sorrow.
· He healed those who were brokenhearted by sin.
Brokenhearted people that Jesus healed included:
· Mary and Martha who were brokenhearted by the death of their Brother Lazarus
· Bartimaeus who was brokenhearted by his blindness.
· The man sick of the palsy brought to Jesus by four friends He was brokenhearted by His sins.
· The Apostles who were brokenhearted by the death of the Lord Jesus.
Jesus heals brokenhearted people today!
· He heals those brokenhearted by sickness and death.
· He heals those brokenhearted by offenses committed against them. He teaches them to forgive.
· He heals those brokenhearted by sin.
Matthew 11:28-30
to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
Only the Lord Jesus can set free those who are held captive by Satan, by their sins, and by their own unforgiving heart.
Only the Lord Jesus can give sight to those who have been spiritually blinded by Satan.
Only the Lord Jesus can set at liberty those who have been bruised by the events of their past.
[19] To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
This was the Year of Jubilee which occurred every 50 years. This was a time when the land had a year of freedom, the Jewish slaves were set free, and the land was returned to its original owners.
My friend, the Lord Jesus has come to set you free! Please let Him do so!
Jesus used the word of God to communicate a message from God. Make sure that you have accepted His message and applied it to your own life.
JESUS' COMMENTARY - THE WORD HAS BEEN FULFILLED - Vss. 20-21
Vss. 20-21 - Jesus had quoted from Isaiah 61:1-2a. It is interesting that he stopped reading in mid-sentence of verse 2. The first part of Isaiahs prophecy was fulfilled at his first coming. The rest will be fulfilled at His Second Coming.
Jesus was making an announcement.
This was a privileged people.
This prophecy was fulfilled before their eyes.
They were looking at the fulfillment of that prophecy, the Lord Jesus Christ.
They were presented with Gods truth.
It was there for the accepting.
It was there for the taking.
Each time you hear a Biblical sermon or Sunday School lesson, or Bible Study, you are presented with Gods truth.
It is there for you to accept.
It is there for to you take as your own.
It is there for you to apply to your own life.
JESUS CHARGE HE WAS A PROPHET WITHOUT HONOR Vss. 22-27
Vs. 22 At first the people of Nazareth were impressed. Jesus sounded so good!
But the feeling didnt last long.
Right away they remembered that this was Jesus, the son (as they thought) of Joseph.
He had grown up around them.
He had attended their synagogue as a boy.
He had been their carpenter.
Why he couldnt suddenly become their Messiah!
They resented Him instead of believing on Him.
Most of you have grown up with the Lord Jesus.
Youve heard about Him for a long time, most of you for all your life.
You are very familiar with the Lord Jesus.
You either believe Him and do what He says or you resent Him, by not believing Him and not doing what He says.
Some of you believe on Him for salvation but do not believe Him enough to obey Him by the way you live. Whether you accept this truth or not if you dont obey Him, you resent Him. Matthew 6:24
Vs. 23 Jesus quoted a parable. He is reading their minds.
They wanted Jesus to do the miracles He had done elsewhere in front of them. They wanted Him to entertain them, to prove Himself.
Why didnt Jesus do this?
Vs. 24 He, as a prophet, was not accepted in His own country. He would not do miracles because they did not believe. Matthew 13:48
In verses 23-27 Jesus gave two examples miracles that took place among the Gentiles.
A gentile widow had the privilege of a bottomless barrel of meal and a bottomless container of oil during a drought and famine in Israel during the days of Elijah the Prophet. There were many Israeli widows in the land at the time.
A gentile soldier was healed of leprosy although there were many Israelites that had leprosy in the days of Elisha the prophet.
During those days Israel was in a general state of unbelief.
God did not bless them with those special miracles.
I fear to say that we in our Christian churches today are by and large in that same state of unbelief.
Jesus is a prophet without honor right here in America, and often in this church!
JESUS' CONFLICT - THE PEOPLE DIDN'T LIKE WHAT HE SAID - Vss. 28-30
Vss. 28-29 - The people didnt like what Jesus said.
They rebelled against Him.
They tried to kill Him and couldnt!
So much for being a hometown hero!
Very often we will run into the same problem. We dont like what the Lord Jesus says through the preacher and we rebel!
We might ignore the Word. Or we might even reject the preacher as being far too radical or as being wrong.
The rebellion of the people of Nazareth did not change the truth. Your rebellion against the Word of God will also not change the truth.
The people of Nazareth needed to have a change of heart about the Lord Jesus. They need to repent.
Perhaps you need to have a change of heart about the Lord Jesus as a Christian and make sure He is Lord of your life.
Perhaps you need to have a change of heart about the Lord Jesus and become a Christian.
(Much expanded material based on a previously shared outline.)
****************************************************************************
John 14:1-6
A LOOK BEYOND THE CROSS
Jesus was leaving. He was going to the cross to die for the sins of the world. He gives comfort that looks beyond the cross.
A GREAT PRINCIPLE Vs. 1 Trust God, trust Me
A GREAT PLACE Vs. 2 Heaven
A GREAT PROMISE Vs. 3 He will return for us
A GREAT PROCLAMATION Vs. 4 The only way to the Father in Heaven is through Him.
****************************************************************************
Colossians 3:1-9
HEAVENLY THINKING = HEAVENLY LIVING.
We will live in a higher realm if we think in a higher realm.
How we think will effect how we live. If we think heavenly thoughts, we will translate them into heavenly living. When we think with a Heavenly perspective, we will live with a Heavenly perspective.
In our text we find a very important principle for us to consider, "Heavenly thinking equals heavenly living."
THE FACTS - Vs. 1
There are two facts we need to consider:
1. We are risen with Christ because we died with Christ.
Notice the word "if" here. That word would be better translated "since".
There's no doubt in Paul's mind.
We are risen with Christ.
Romans 6:3-4 - Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
We are risen with Christ because we died with Christ.
We are risen with Christ because we were buried with Christ.
We are risen with Christ and that means that just as the Lord Jesus had victory over sin and the grave so do we.
We will live forever, and we don't have to live in sin now. We are risen with Christ!
The day I died with Christ I died to sin's power over me. I began a resurrected victorious life that gives the power to be victorious over sin. I don't have to listen to sin anymore, although I can chose to. I am risen with Christ and the risen Christ lives inside of me, according to Galatians 2:20.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
THE FACTS:
1. We are risen with Christ because we died with Christ. (See Galatians 2:20 and Romans 6:1-14)
2. Christ sits on the right hand of God.
He is in control. Ephesians 1:18-23
Now because we were crucified with Him, buried with Him, and resurrected with Him, that also means we are also seated with Him. This is our position. This is our rank. This is where we belong.
Ephesians 2:6 - And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
We live in the sphere of God's influence where Christ reigns.
We are not of this world, we are of the world where Christ is preeminent!
We are where Christ is! Christ is seated in glory! We are there too!
THE FOCUS - Vss. 1-2
We are to seek things above, the things of Christ.
If we are not of this world, we should seek the things of the world we are part of.
Our focus is to be on Christ and His preeminence.
Our focus is to be on Christ and the things of God. Matthew 6:33
When we seek the Kingdom we seek the King!
When we seek the Kingdom we seek to obey the King.
When we seek the Kingdom we seek to learn from the King.
When we seek the Kingdom we seek the Kings authority and power in our lives.
We are to seek things above, the things of Christ.
We are to seek things above, not the things of this earth.
We are to set our minds on things above, not on things of the earth.
We are to think Heaven and heavenly things.
THE FUNERAL - Vs. 3, 5-9
When Christ died on the cross I died with Him. Vs. 3
Our lives are now hid with Him in God.
When we are hid in Christ, we are eternally secure.
When we are hid in Christ, we are safe now.
When we are hid in Christ, we can not be touched by sin and death.
Vs. 5 The sins listed in this verse are basically sexual and sensual in nature.
Vss. 6-7 - These are the things that God will judge. No child of God should be involved in these things. These are things of the past life. We lived in them previously when we were not saved, but should no part of them now.
Some will say, "Well that's no so bad, I don't have a moral problem.
But there's more in Vss. 8-9. These verses show us some basic actions that no child of God should be in bondage to.
We are to put to death the old bad habits.
THE FUTURE - Vs. 4
When Christ appears in glory, we appear with Him. This motivates us to live for our Savior now!
1 John 2:2-3 - Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.
****************************************************************************
2 Timothy 2:1-4
PRINCIPLES FOR A GODLY PASTOR
BE STRONG IN GRACE Vs. 1
Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
BE SELECTIVE IN TEACHING Vs. 2 (Train faithful men)
And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.
BE STUBBORN IN ENDURANCE Vs. 3
Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
BE SEPARATED IN BEHAVIOR Vs. 4
No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
***************************************************************************
HAVE THESE SERMON SEEDS BLESSED YOU? THEN, PLEASE PASS THEM ALONG!
ABOUT SERMON SEEDS:
Sermon Seeds is a weekly e-mailing of free brief sermon outlines from Pastor Jack Peters. These outlines are meant to help other pastors and Bible Teachers in their own preparations.
These outlines are only "seeds". They are not sermons ready for you to preach. Feel free to improve on these outlines anyway the Lord leads you.
TO SUBSCRIBE - Send a blank e-mail to: sermonseeds-subscribe@welovegod.org
TO UNSUBSCRIBE - Send a blank e-mail to: sermonseeds-unsubscribe@welovegod.org
PLEASE VISIT OUR WEB SITE!
http://www.sermonseeds.org is the location for the Sermon Seeds Archives. You will find most of the outlines from these e-mail editions, plus links to other helpful web pages. Be sure to sign the guest book, and tell me a little about yourself.
JACKS EMAIL ADDRESS jpeters@alltel.net
TALK TO JACK THROUGH INSTANT MESSAGING
I welcome live correspondence with those on the Sermon Seeds list. To put me on your "buddy list" here is the information you need.
AOL AIM JackPeters1947
MSN (Microsoft) - johnwpeters@hotmail.com
VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://www.sermonseeds.org
This ministry has grown over the years because people like you have told others about Sermon Seeds. Always feel free to forward the weekly Sermon Seeds email to those who you think might be interested in these outlines. Also, please share our website address with others as well. Thank you for your support.
-- To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: sermonseeds-unsubscribe@welovegod.org