This is a recurring Biblical theme: "Our God is able to deliver us..." For example, Shadrach, Meschah and Abednego could not deliver themselves from the fiery furnace. Without the presence of God they would have been "toast." (pun intended)
God, as we know Him in Jesus, has no ceiling on His abilities - no limitations. There are many things that He will not do, or does not do, but there is nothing that He cannot do. We will demonstrate this theme, "Our God is Able," in some situations that we all face. I. God/Jesus is able to help us overcome obstacles. Exodus 14:13-16 & 21-22 A. The Red Sea was an impossible obstacle for God's people but not for God. 1. They were stopped "dead in their tracks" with Pharaoh's army behind and the Red Sea ahead. What were they to do? 2. Ex. 14:16 & 21-22 - They were to trust God. (A good lesson for us.) B. He is able when we are "stopped dead in our tracks" by life's overwhelming obstacles. For example: 1. Personal problems can stop us. All kinds of things within us and around us, can overwhelm us and we do not have the personal resources to overcome them. Trust Jesus! He is able! 2. Interpersonal problems can stop us. There are personality conflicts, family conflicts and job related conflicts - even church conflicts. Turn them over to Jesus for He is able. C. If we only do what we can do to overcome our personal obstacles, they will overwhelm us. We move forward when we totally trust to Lord to deal with them as He did with the Red Sea. II. God/Jesus is able to deliver us when we are at our wit's end. 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 A. Paul could do nothing about his "thorn in the flesh." He was "at his wit's end." 1. Even prayer did not make it cease. Then what was/is the answer? 2. Vs. 9 - God's grace intervened so that Paul could go on in spite of it. Do not underestimate the power of God's grace. B. This is also about our pain, our weaknesses, our defeats, our despair - our "thorns." 1. His grace will give us the will and courage to keep going. 2. The power of God's grace is at work in our lives, even when we are at "our wit's end." (God is never at "His wit's end.") I love a quote from W.T. McClean: "When you come to the end of your rope, tie a prayer knot and hang on." C. If God solved everything for us, we could not develop faith and character, nor could we grow in His grace. III. God/Jesus is able to deliver us from our sins. No one else can!!!! Psalm 51:1-3; Psalm 32:5 and 1 John 1:9 A. Only He is able to forgive us and deliver us from sin. 1. Do not try to ignore sin. You can't! 2. Do not try to overcome sin by your own strength and will, rather, present yourself to Jesus as a repentant sinner in need of forgiveness. 3. Do not try to excuse sin in your life. B. 1 John 1:9 tells us that only Jesus can cleanse us from sin. C. He is able to give us victory over sin by our faith in Him. Our God is able under any and all circumstances in our lives. Let us lean on His infallible ability as we face life's obstacles He is able in your life too. Lean on Him!
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We have all surrendered to something or someone. We really need to surrender to God, to Jesus. We need to overcome our self-life and give it to one higher than ourselves. This is what our text is about.
I. Vs. 1 - The Plea A. "I beseech you...." 1. It is a plea for us to live the kind of life that will make a difference for the kingdom of God. 2. It is a personal plea to you! B. The basis of the plea is "the mercies of God..." 1. Not law but grace, and not just "have to" but "want to." 2. Not grudging but loving. 3. Not to stifle but to set free. C. The extent of the plea. 1. "Present your bodies..." (Give total self.) 2. "As living sacrifices..." 3. "Holy, acceptable unto God..." 4. It is not unreasonable. 5. "Renewing of the mind..." II. Vs. 2 - The Purpose A. One purpose of surrender is to change the focus of our lives. 1. "Not conformed to the world..." Not poured into the world's mold, but God's. 2. "But transformed..." Change of heart and mind. Completely turned around -- like Paul. B. Another purpose of surrender is to enable us to discover the will of God for our lives 1. Until we surrender we will not really care about the will of God. 2. Until we surrender it will be difficult to know the will of God, let alone do it. C. God wants you to change the focus of your life by discovering His will. 1. It is important! 2. It is necessary for fruitfulness! 3. It means living joyfully for Jesus! III. The Pattern A. The pattern for surrender is found in Jesus. 1. He surrendered His life totally to the will of the Father. 2. He surrendered to death!!!!! B. We are obviously not perfect as Jesus was, but He can show us what a surrendered life can be and do. 1. He was willing to go wherever the Father chose Him to go. Are we? 2. He willing to be whatever His Father chose Him to be. Philippians 2:5-8 Are we? 3. He was willing to do whatever the Father wanted him to do. Are we? C. You want have to do it alone. Philippians 2:13 Have you really surrendered your life to the Lord? Will you hear the plea? Will you accept the purpose? Will you strive to live the pattern? Note: This is a simple and basic sermon. We need to preach sermons like this, for a lot of people, even in church, are not fully aware of these basic things. You might be surprised how many eyes will be opened with such a sermon. Bro. Joe
We talk a lot about getting our needs met. Our needs have almost become gods, and excuses for almost any kind of sin. These are not not our most basic and real needs. Our text tells about some real needs. I. Vss. 8-9 - We need to be saved by the Lord. A. Vs. 8a - God provides grace for us to be saved. 1. Grace is God's unmerited favor. 2. People don't like to hear this today, but it is impossible for a human being to be saved without God's grace! B. Vs. 8b - God provided faith for us to be saved. 1. Hebrews 11:1 gives a great definition of faith. 2. Hebrews 11:6 gives the great need for faith. 3. Led by God's Spirit into God's grace, we confess our sins and invite Jesus into our lives. C. Vss. 8c-9 - God's salvation is a gift too costly to be bought and too holy to be earned. 1. According to John 1:12-13, it is not of ourselves. 2. It cannot be earned by works. 3. We can't boast about how we saved ourselves. II. Vs. 10 - We need to serve the Lord. A. When we are saved we become, "God's workmanship in Christ Jesus." 1. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus works in us daily to change us. 2, Jesus works in us to use us. B. We are saved, "unto good works." 1. We are not saved by good works, but to do good works. 2. On of the evidences that we are saved is our works. a. We work under the power of the Holy Spirit. b. We work to get others saved - witnessing. c. We work to help others spiritually and physically - ministry. C. God has given us works that He has ordained that only we can do. III. We need to see. A. We need to see the need for daily prayer. "Pray without ceasing..." 1. Set aside a time to pray, but pray all during the day too. 2. Prayer keeps us aware of our need for God and unleashes His power in our lives. 3. Pray for other people. B.We need to see the need for reading the Bible daily. 1. We need to bring ourselves under the judgment of God's word daily. 2. We get to know God better through His word, for He reveals Himself to us in it. C. We need to see the need for worship and praise of God. 1. We need to do this individually daily. 2. We need to do this in fellowship with God's people in church. These are three of our basic spiritual needs. They are basic, but it is surprising how few people, even people in church, who know of and expereince these needs. We will not find real peace with God or within ourselves until these needs are met. Our text is a good statement on hope. Any other hope is misplaced - be it in people or things. The Greek word "elpis" as used in the New Testament does not mean "maybe so," but "know so." Let's consider what this hope is about.
I. Vs. 7 - The Ground of Our Hope A. The psalmist tells us plainly: "My hope is in thee...." (in God, in Jesus.) B. Only Jesus paid the price to be our hope; therefore, He alone is the ground of our hope. 1. Our real hope is not grounded in better political leaders. 2. Our real hope is not grounded in religion. 3. Our real hope is not grounded in our own accomplishments. 4. Our real hope is not grounded in public opinion - what others think of us. C. We do not vote on hope and truth, it is all grounded in Jesus. II. The Good of Our Hope A. Our hope in Jesus is active in our lives and brings good into our lives. B. What good does this hope bring into our lives? 1. The good of salvation - eternal life - heaven forever. 2. The good of eternal security. Read John 10:28-29. 3. The good of hope in Jesus for all of life and in all of life's circumstances. a. We have the assurance of God's presence and work in our lives. b. We have the blessings of God guarenteed: forgiveness of sins, Holy Spirit, power of God, love and joy of God. C. Our hope in Christ is only good. There are no negatives. III. The Greatness of Our Hope A. Our hope in Jesus is one of the greatest of all of God's promises. 1. He promised His Son. He came! 2. He promised salvation in His Son. We got it! 3. He promised life in heaven forever. We have it in Jesus. 4, He promised to return. We will see it happen in God's time. Titus 2:13 B. Our hope in Jesus is as great as the power of God. 1. It is total power and total hope. 2. It is unlimited power and unlimited hope. C. Our hope in Jesus is as great as the love, mercy and grace of God. D. Our hope in Jesus is as great as the provision of God. Where is your real hope? Place your hope squarely on Jesus for your life and the rest of your life will be better. Note: I want to share with you an idea that came to me while reading in Jeremiah this morning. It is just a brief outline, which is all I have on it at this time. My prayer is that you can take it and use it in your ministry. Bro. Joe
Jeremiah did not have a high opinion of the human heart. He saw the condition of the hearts of the people that God called him to prophesy to, and he came away knowing the possibilities of evil in the human heart. I want to share some various conditions that can prevail in the hearts of people. You might identify yourself in here somewhere and let God do some "heart surgery" on you. I. There are hard hearts. These hearts are illustrated by the "wayside" in the parable of the sower. The word of God cannot find abode in it. II. There are stubborn hearts. This condition is different from the hard heart in that the person might know what is right to do, but stubbornly, and obstinately, decides to go his or her own way. III. There are indifferent hearts. The people with indifferent hearts do not care about other people. They do not care what people do as long as they leave them alone...You get the picture! IV. There are sinful hearts. This condition might be characterized by all of the above, but it is different in that this heart eats, drinks and sleeps sin. The pleasures of this world, for example, have taken over their lives. V. There are yielded hearts. Thank God for the people who have given their hearts to Jesus and are willing to be used of Him in His service. Of all the conditions mentioned above, don't you want your's to be a yielded heart? Let the Holy Spirit remove any hardness, or stubborness, or any indifference, or any sin that might be in your life and give you a yielded heart. Your life will be better for it. Have you ever thought of yourself as "salt and light"? Jesus called us that, and He called us to be that. He is talking about our influence on the world. It is important that we be salt and light to the world.
I. The purpose of salt and light A. Salt 1. Salt purifies. As Christians, we are to be examples of purity, creating pure and wholesome conditions where we are. Are we doiing, or being, that? 2. Salt preserves. It prevents corruption and decay. Before freezers, salt was the main means of preservation of food. We are the preservatives that Jesus wants to use to save the world from moral and spiritual decay. Are doing, or being that? 3. Salt seasons. I am like Job, I do not want an egg without salt. Salt adds taste and flavor. We are to live our lives so that other people will see that life without Christ is meaningless, and that with Him life is full of spiritual flavor, joy, and abundance. Are we doing, and being, that? B. Light 1. Light dispels darkness. Darkness is an absence of light, and when light comes in darkness flees. Six-year-old Robert Louis Stevenson was watching a lamplighter work. His nurse asked him what he was doing, and he replied: "Watching a man poke holes in the darkness." Are we being "lamplighters"? 2. Light illumines life. It lights the way and gives direction. Jesus is the light of the world and His presence in our lives makes us the lights of the world. We are reflections of His light like moonlight is a reflection of sunlight. C. All of this says something about God's purpose for your life. II. The peril of being salt and light A. We can fail to function as salt and light. 1. We can be sour and bland. 2. We can become dull and lose our illumination. B. Doing this, we lose our influence on others and become an easy tool for the devil. C. How does this happen? 1. We can allow some sin into our lives. Don't do it. 2. We can allow some attitudes to come over us that do not honor Jesus. That's why we need periodic attitude checks. III. The potential of being salt and light A. We begin with ourselves. 1. We need to apply Jesus' teachings to our own lives. Is He cnanging your life daily and helping you to live the "salt and light" life? 2. We need to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit daily, for He will lead us to be salt and light. B. We penetrate the world. Vs. 16: "Let your light so shine before men that they might see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven....." C. We can be the cause of revival. The potential for our lives is great if we will live as salt and light in a tasteless and dark world. Do you want your life to be salt and light? Then live as salt and live as light. Be different and make a difference. Luke 18;15-23
Note: You have probably preached on this text many times, and the people to whom you preach have probably heard sermons on this text many times. As I read the text this morning, I saw some larger implications for us and our relationship with God. I hope this idea will help you to help your people. The rich young man wanted to know how he could be assured of eternal life. Jesus went through the commandments with him and he, evidently, kept them rather well. Then Jesus hit the sore spot - his wealth. He went away sorrowful. Let's replace this young man with our own lives for a few minutes. His wealth was hindering his relationship with God and thus his assurance of eternal life and peace of mind.. What is hindering your relationship with God? I. There are things that hinder our relationship with God. A. What about your choices of entertainlment? (movies, t.v. programs, etc.) Are these choices leading you to a closer walk with Jesus? B. What about your choices of literature? Does what you read on a daily basis enhance your walk with Jesus? C. What about your choices of the company you keep? I'm not telling you to turn up your nose at people, but you do need to ask if your relationship with them is bringing you closer to Jesus. D. What about your relationships with people at work, at home, at church, etc. Are you loving people like Jesus did, or merely tolerating them? E. What about people that you need to forgive? Unforgiveness will hinder your relationship with God. II. We need to do away with those things that are hindering our relationship with God. A. We can't give them up on our own power. This is a work of God the Holy Spirit. B. We can make these things a matter of daily prayer. We need to ask God to help us get rid of whatever is hindering our relationship with Him. C. We can read and study the Bible to help give us a sense of right and wrong. The world today will tell you that nothing is wrong. Just go do waht you want to do. Watch what you want to watch. Read what you want to read. Think what you want to think. Etc. D. We can fellowship with Christian people at church. E. We can really listen to what the Sunday School lesson is about, or what the preacher is talking about in his sermons. . We have church to enable us to live the Christian life more effectively. Why don't we take better advantage of it? After telling the rich young man to do away with what was hindering him, He told the young man to follow Him. You either need to give your life to Jesus to have eternal life, or you need to strengthen your relationship with Him, and follow Him more closely in order to give you greater assurance of eternal life. The world is asking: "Who is this Jesus, and what does He want with me?" Our text answers this question. Let's take a look at it.
I. Vss. 14-17 - Who is Jesus? A. Vs. 14 - There was some confusion over who He was. 1. Most people would have been complimented by being compared to these people. 2. Don't doubt that there is still confusion by a majority of people as to who Jesus is. B. Vss. 15-16 - There was a confession of who He is. 1. "Thou art the long-awaited Messiah...." 2. "Thou art the Son of the Living God...." 3. Looking on this side of the cross, we can add that He is Savior and Lord... C. Vs. 17 - There was a divine confirmation of who He is. 1. God revealed who Jesus was/is to Simon Peter. 2. God confirms Jesus in us by His Holy Spirit. II. Vss.18-19 - What does Jesus want? A. He gives a commission. 1. Built upon Peter's confession of faith in Christ. - not on Peter! 2. "My Church..." Jesus claims the church as His own. 3. His church is peopled by people who have faith in Him, but it is built by Jesus Christ Himself. A church built on people is doomed. B. Vs. 19 - He asks for a commitment. 1. He gives us the keys to open up the Kingdom of God to people. I think the keys are the Holy Spirit and His power in us. 2. Jesus wants us to be committed to telling others about Him so that they can enter into His kingdom. C. His purpose is clear. What does Jesus want? He wants us to believe in Him and become part of His church. He wants us to live for Him and to fight the good fight of faith. He wants us to commit ourselves to being His witnesses to the world. Now the challenge of this passage: Who is Jesus to you and are you doing what He wants of you in your life? Is He your Savior? Is He your Lord? Paul lived the Christian life to the fullest extent, and his inspired writings tell us to do the same. Our text verses reveal some ways that we can do this.
I. Vss. 9-10 - The fullest extent of love A. Vs, 9a - Christian love is sincere. 1. It is not phony or pretended but real. 2. It does not manipulate others. 3. It is not just talked about but practiced. 4. It does not exclude others. 5. Vs. 9b - It will result in a better life. B. Vs. 10 - Christian love will help us to be kind to people and let others be first. C. If we love to the fullest extent, our lives will be better, more fulfilled, and our fellowship will be an oasis of love for us and for others. II. Vss. 11-13 - The fullest exent of service A. Vs. 11 - We will serve the Lord fervently. 1. We will serve in the fire of the Spirit. 2. Illustration: Athiest at church that was on fire: Churchmember: "This is the first time I've seen you at church." Athiest: "This is the first time I've seen this church on fire." B. Vs. 12a - We will serve the Lord joyfully and patiently. C. Vs. 12b - We will serve the Lord prayerfully. Prayer gives our service the power to serve effectively. D. Vs. 13 - We will serve the Lord sacrificially. Don't be afraid to care or share. III. Vss. 14-16 - The fullest extent of humility. A. Vs. 14 - "Bless those who persecute you..." 1. Paul was writing to people who knew the meaning of real persecution. 2. This is easy to say but not to do, for the tendency is to strike back. B. Vs. 15 - Rejoice with joyful and weep with the sorrowful. C. Vs. 16 - Treat people with a spirit of equality. 1. We should not consider ourselves better than others. 2. We should not be "wise in our own conceits..." IV. Vss. 17-21 - The fullest extent of fellowship. A. We must live in good relationship with other people, and if we can't, we need to take a long look at our attitudes. B. Vs. 17a & 19-20 - We should not be vengeful. C. Vs. 17b - We should be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. This does not mean to compromise truth, but to live as a good example. D. Vs. 18 - For our part, we should live at peace with all people. E. Vs. 21 - Overcome evil with good. To what extent do you love? To what extent do you serve? To what extent are you humble? To what extent do you live in good fellowship with others? Note: Looking through my sermon notes, I found this brief outline. I am not sure if it is original with me or not, but it is a good one. Bro. Joe
What we need above almost everything else as Christians is to realize that we have the joy of Jesus. This is often the missing ingredient in our daily lives and in our worship. He expects us to be joyful people. Let's look at it: I. John 15:11 - The joy that Jesus gives us. A. It is eternal joy. "From everlasting to everlastsing..." It is illustrated in John 16:20-22. B. It is perfect joy. Nothing from heaven is imperfect, so His joy in us is perfect. C. It is godly joy. It is joy that rejoices at the right things and does not rejoice at wrong things. D. It is unusual joy. It will still be joy when everything else says not. It is not circumstantial. "Your joy no man taketh from you...." II. The joy that Jesus shares with us. (or What gives Jesus joy?) A. When people are saved. Luke 15:7 B. When Christians tell others about Him. C. When Christians are in good fellowship with each other. Not "feudin', fussin' and fightin'!" D. When Christians minister to others in His Name. Example: "cut of cold water...." E. When Christians truly worship and celebrate in His Name. All of this joy is ours by faith......And we can bring Jesus joy...... |
All of these materials are free of charge. There is no copyright on them and you are free to use them as you see fit. I am happy to be of assitance to you in your preaching/teaching minstry.
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