SERMON SEEDS L22 FOR 8/10/08
Posted by: jpeters <jpeters@...>
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SERMON SEEDS FOR AUGUST 10, 2008
WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE FIRST OUTLINE, ALL OF THESE ARE SUMMER RERUNS!
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REVELATION 15-16
JUDGMENTS GRAND FINALE
THE BACK OF THE BOOK #14
· What are some of the ways that God has judged or will judge the earth and/or mankind?
· Although God is a God of love, mercy, and grace, God is also a righteous God who demands judgment upon sin.
· The Book of Revelation is not exclusively a book of judgment, but much of the book shows Gods judgment of earth and the sinners who dwell there.
· As told by Christ, the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments will grow in intensity: For then shall be great tribulation, such was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elects sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:21-22). The Tribulation judgments will be cut off by the return of Christ. If this were not so, no life would survive on the earth. David Levy, Revelation: Hearing the Last Word, (Bellmawr, NJ, Friends of Israel Gospel Ministry Inc., 1999), pp. 171-172
After an interlude of three chapters, John picks up the list of events relating to judgment. The seventh trumpet actually leads into the bowl (vial) judgments that will actually conclude the judgment of earth.
CHAPTER 15 PREPARATION IN HEAVEN
PLAGUES Vs. 1
· Other signs in Heaven are found in Revelation 12:1, 3.
· This sign is great and marvelous because in these 7 plagues the wrath of God is completed.
· A plague is not limited to a disease. It is a blow from a fiercely angry God.
· The good news is that there is an end in sight, and that the blessings to follow for redeemed mankind and the earth itself are phenomenal!
PRAISE Vss. 2-4
· Vs. 2 - This sea was a sea of glass or crystal. It reflects the glory and majesty of God. The fire seen in the sea would represent judgment that God was about to carry out.
· On this sea stood the Tribulation saints, who had been martyred, but in reality had been victorious over the Beast, his image, his mark, and his number. Physical death does not mean defeat for the saved.
· Vss. 3-4 They sang two songs which were different and yet very similar. Both of them speak of deliverance. The song of Moses is found in Exodus 15. The song of the Lamb is found here.
· Gods works, ways, holiness and judgments are referred to here.
PROCESSION Vss. 5-7
· The temple on earth was simply a copy of the temple in Heaven. The Holy of Holies contained the ark which had the Ten Commandments (the testimony). Out of the intimate presence of God came seven angels carrying Gods final judgments.
· Notice the purity of their clothes. What they were doing was pure and right because it came from a righteous, holy God.
· The angels were given vials, or shallow bowls, containing the wrath of God.
PREVENTION Vs. 8
· Smoke, a reflection of Gods glory and power, filled the temple.
· Because of this glory, everyone was prevented from entering until after the judgments were completed.
· This is reminiscent of the dedication of Solomons temple. The priests could not minister because of the cloud which was the glory of the Lord. 1 Kings 8:10-11
CHAPTER 16 - JUDGMENTS UPON EARTH
BOWL #1 TERRIBLE SORES Vss. 1-2
· Vs. 1 - The angels were commissioned to go and pour out their judgments. These judgments will be poured out upon the earth in rapid succession.
· Vs. 2 Those who are not saved will receive loathsome terrible sores. They seem to be ulcerated sores, from which they will suffer severely.
BOWL #2 POLLUTED SEAS Vs. 3
· In Revelation 8:8-9 we see that 1/3 of the sea became blood and 1/3 of the sea creatures were destroyed.
· With this bowl judgment, all the seas will become like dead mens blood, thick and no doubt foul in smell.
· All life in the sea will be destroyed. What devastation!
BOWL #3 CONTAMINATED FRESH WATER Vss. 4-7
· Vs. 4 - When the third angels bowl is poured out, the fresh water supply will become blood. You imagine the severe hardship this will cause. Already 1/3 of the fresh water supply had been damaged according to Revelation 8:10-11.
· Vss. 5-7 God seems to anticipate criticism for what seems to be cruel and unreasonable judgment.
· The angel of the waters announced that God is righteous, eternal, and justified in judging those who killed saints and prophets.
· Vs. 7 is a great reminder that Gods judgments are always true and righteous.
BOWL #4 SCORCHING SUN Vss. 8-9
· The next angel brings intense heat from the sun.
· Not only will men be miserable, but imagine the devastation caused by true global warming. Ice caps and snow covered mountains will begin to melt and cause severe flooding.
· The response of mankind will not be to repent, but to blaspheme Gods name.
BOWL #5 UNBEARABLE DARKNESS Vss. 10-11
· The kingdom of the beast will be full of darkness. That probably means that the whole world will suffer.
· The people will chew on their tongues in pain.
· They will continue to blaspheme God and refuse to repent.
BOWL #6 DRIED UP RIVER Vss. 12-16
· Vs. 12 - the River Euphrates, a huge, wide, long river will dry up. This will facilitate armies marching to their judgment at Armageddon.
· Vs. 13-14 Three powerful demons, proceeding from the unholy trinity, will work miracles and influence the armies of the world to the last great battle of that great day of God Almighty.
· Vs. 15 Here is a word of challenge for the saved. The Lord will come like a thief. Those who are saved should be watching and ready, lest they be unprepared and exposed as such.
· Vs. 16 Armageddon is Mount Megiddo, which is 60 miles north of Jerusalem. Many battles have been fought here down through the years. This will be the last great showdown between Satan and the Lord Jesus. Satan will be quickly defeated.
BOWL #7 GREAT EARTHQUAKE Vss. 17-21
· Vs. 17 There is a great shout of victory from Heaven. It is done!
· Vs. 18 There is probably the worst earthquake the world has ever seen.
· Vs. 19 The great city is probably Jerusalem. It will not fall like other cities including great Babylon.
· Vs. 20 In preparation for the millennial Kingdom, there appears to be great geographical adjustments. Isaiah 40:4
· Vs. 21 Huge hail weighing anywhere from 75-135 pounds will fall out of Heaven.
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SO, WHO'S STUBBORN?
Judges 2:10-19
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry...
1 Samuel 15:23a
The children of Israel were being stubborn. What they did leads us to ask three questions about ourselves. If any one of the answers to these questions is yes, perhaps, we are being stubborn too.
AM I ON THE RUN? (Defection) Vss. 10-13
Israel was running away from God and His laws.
Am I?
AM I ON THE ROPES? (Discipline) Vss. 14-15
Israel was being disciplined by God.
Am I?
AM I ON THE "REV."? (Dissension) Vss. 16-19
("Rev." here is short for Reverend, and refers to spiritual leaders in my life.)
Israel would not hearken to their judges.
Instead of accepting spiritual leadership, am I "on" Spiritual leadership with unjust criticism or antagonistic confrontation?
Note: If you don't like my questions, you can just use the three "D" words in parenthesis.
Sermon Seeds A6, 4/14/97
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Psalm 95
WORSHIP
A CALL TO WORSHIP Vss. 1-2
A CAUSE FOR WORSHIP Vss. 3-6
A CAUTION IN WORSHIP Vss. 7-11
(We are not to provoke God the way the children of Israel did.)
Sermon Seeds B23, 8/10/98
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Luke 20:9-19
THE VINEYARD!
REALITY OF THE VINEYARD - Vs. 9
The vineyard in this parable is the nation Israel.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VINEYARD - Vs. 9
God made the leaders responsible for the care of the vineyard.
REBELLION IN THE VINEYARD - Vss. 10-15
When there should have Spiritual fruit there was none.
God sent messengers (prophets) to collect the fruit and they were persecuted. Vss. 10-12
God sent His Son and they murdered Him. Vss. 13-15
RETRIBUTION FOR THE VINEYARD - Vss. 16-18
The current responsibility for the vineyard has been taken away from the leaders of Israel and has been given to the church. Matthew 28:19-20
Jesus is the cornerstone (Psalm 118:22). The one who falls upon Him in faith is broken of self-righteousness and becomes a child of God.
In Judgment He will crush the one who fails to fall on Him.
Vs. 19 - Note that the leaders realized that this parable was spoken against them.
Sermon Seeds C14, 6/7/1999
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John 11:1-45
VICTORY OVER DEATH
DIFFICULTY OF LAZARUS' ILLNESS - Vss. 1-4
DELAY OF JESUS' COMING - Vss. 5-7
DEATH OF LAZARUS - Vss. 8-17
DISCUSSION OF THE RESURRECTION - Vss. 18-27
DEMONSTRATION OF JESUS' POWER - Vss. 28-45
Sermon Seeds C49, 2/14/00
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1 John 5:11-13
THIS IS!
THIS IS THE RECORD - Vs. 11 - And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
THIS IS THE REQUIREMENT - Vs. 12 - He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
THIS IS THE REASSURANCE - Vs. 13 - These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Sermon Seeds G19, 7/21/03
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Hebrews 2:1-4
ANCHORED?
We who are Christians, or who think we are Christians have a problem. We figure that we know Christ as our Savior. We have the truth of Christianity and all that it provides. We consider ourselves to be anchored. But we dont practice our Christianity the way we should. We dont work at our relationship with Christ. We start to drift away, and we often dont realize it, until adverse winds and tides move us right towards some personal disaster. We then become alert and find that we have drifted far away from the Lord! We dont have the closeness to Him that we once had.
As we continue our study of the Book of Hebrews this morning, we find the first of five warnings that the author of Hebrews gives us. The author of Hebrews suddenly stops teaching for a moment in order to apply to our lives what he has just said. It is as if he is saying in Hebrews 2:1-4, You say that you are anchored in your salvation. You had better make sure that you actually are. In these verses I find:
A CHALLENGE
Hebrews 2:1 - Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
You probably know by now that when you see the word therefore you need to see What its there for!
In chapter 1 we are told that God has spoken to us through His Son. (Review what Christ is according to chapter 1.) Because all these things are true of the Son we are challenged Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard,
To give more earnest heed to the things which weve heard is to Pay Attention earnestly or closely.
How pleased do you think God is with His children when they dont pay close attention to the one who is Almighty?
· He tells us not to fear but do we pay attention?
· He tells us to witness but do we pay attention?
· He tells us to be baptized but do we pay attention?
· He tells us to attend church regularly but do we pay attention?
· He tells us to read and memorize Scripture but do we pay attention?
· He tells us to anxiously wait for the coming of His Son, but do we pay attention?
· He tells us to live Godly lives, but do we pay attention?
· He tells us that we must make a personal, heart commitment to Christ if we want to be saved, but do we pay attention?
What happens if we dont pay close attention?
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
To let them slip carries the idea of drifting away. It is like thinking that you are anchored, when in reality, you are not. It is being adrift away from God.
So whats the point?
We must not simply believe that the Bible is Gods Word. We must pay close attention to obey it.
We must not simply believe that the preacher is preaching Gods Word. We must pay close attention to obey it.
We must not simply believe in Jesus in our heads, we must have a heart to heart relationship with Him by abiding in Him!
The challenge is to pay attention lest we let the things which we have heard slip.
A CAUTION
Hebrews 2:2 - For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
In some way the angels were involved with the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai. They were involved with the giving of the Ten Commandments and other laws. Galatians 3:19, Acts 7:53
Now, according to Hebrews 2:2 this word communicated through angels was steadfast.
The word was final! It stood as the law!
And as the Law every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward.
If a person stole, he was to be punished.
If a person murdered, he was to be punished.
If a person blasphemed against God, he was to be punished.
And often, as in the case of blasphemy and murder, it was punishable by death!
Now if the words communicated by angels from God were so important that stiff judgment was meted out to violators, the author of Hebrews goes on to say in verse 3, How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;
I see the big word here as neglect.
We are surprised when we see someone neglect the care of their home.
We are saddened when a student neglects to apply himself to his schoolwork.
We are distraught when a husband neglects his wife, or a wife her husband.
We are appalled when parents neglect their children, or when children neglect their parents.
It is even worse however when a person has heard the Gospel of salvation time after time, and even believes it to be true, but has never personally committed himself or herself to Christ as Savior. That is neglect with a capital N.
The author of Hebrews asks, How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation.
Why is salvation great?
· Salvation is great because of Gods great love. John 3:16
· Salvation is great because of the price Jesus paid to secure forgiveness. 2 Corinthians 5:21
· Salvation is great because of Jesus resurrection from the dead which assures our resurrection from the dead. 1 Corinthians 15:20
· Salvation is great because of the change it brings to the lives of true believers.
2 Corinthians 5:17
There are many other ways salvation is great, but these are some of them. And we will not escape if we neglect them.
If you have heard the Gospel, but have never made a heart commitment to Christ by faith, you will not escape. John 3:18, Revelation 20:15
If you have been born again and have drifted away from Christ, not doing what you should, you will not escape. 2 Corinthians 5:10-11a
Every Christian must stand before His Lord and give account. As the Lord reviews our lives and points out the neglect that we never repented of, I dont believe that well weep. I believe that well ball or wail. We will not be condemned to Hell, but we will suffer embarrassment and the loss of rewards.
Thankfully, the Lord will have something good to say about every Christian. 1 Corinthians 4:5
But there is such a high price to pay, Christian, for neglect.
We need to heed the caution found here.
Hebrews 2:2-3 - For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; [3] How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;
A COMMUNICATION
Hebrews 2:3 - How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord,
Who communicated the Gospel to man?
· The very Son of God left the splendors of Heaven to communicate to us.
· The very Son of God walked this earth teaching the way of salvation.
· The very Son of God walked this earth and taught us how to live.
He is the one we call Lord.
He is the one we call Master.
He is the one who deserves to be called these things. John 13:13
And Jesus miracles actually proved that what He was saying was true. The miracles proved Him to be the Son of God!
Oh my friend, if the very Son of God has communicated to us, should we not listen, and strive to obey with all our hearts?
A CONFIRMATION
Hebrews 2:3 - How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
Not only did Jesus come and speak, but there were those who heard Him, who confirmed that He had spoken them.
We know these people to be the Apostles.
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter and the other Apostles boldly confirmed the message of Salvation. Then they eventually took the Gospel to the world.
They also wrote what they were confirming down so that we have the Gospels, Epistles, and Book of Revelation.
And God got involved in the confirmation process.
Hebrews 2:4 - God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?
It was important that the world knew that what the Apostles were saying was true. Therefore He confirmed that their message confirming Jesus message was true. He confirmed their message by allowing them to do signs, wonders, divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His will.
These miracles are no longer needed because we now have a completed Scripture. But until the Scripture was complete, God often confirmed the authenticity of the Apostles words with miracles.
So, how anchored are you?
Have you been paying attention to the things youve heard, or are they slipping and you are drifting?
Are you pretending to be something youre not?
Have you been neglectful?
Matthew 23:28 - Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
Is it time to come back and make things right with the Lord and to start paying attention?
Sermon Seeds, G34, 11/23/03
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