Note: If you are like me, you have preached Psalm 23 many times. This week I discovered a new approach to preaching the great psalm. "It just keeps on preaching." Bro. Joe
Psalm 23 tells us a lot of things, but for right now we need to consider what it tells us about God. It gives a great description of who God is and what He does in our lives. I. Vs. 1 - Who is God? A. He is a shepherd. A shepherd totally protects his sheep. B. He is "my" shepherd. He is our personal God. Jesus Christ wants us to take Him personally as He serves as our "Good Shepherd." C. Because of this, "I shall not want..." This does not mean that He gives us everything that we want, but everything that we need to live successfully. II. Vss. 2-3 - What does God do for us? A. He gives us rest -- "green pastures" B. He calms us down - "still waters" C. He "restores our souls..." D. He helps us to live righteously. "paths of righteousness" III. Vs. 4 - Where is God? A. He is with us in the dark times of life as well as in the good times. B. He is with us to guide us through. C. He is with us to protect us. "rod and staff" D. He is with us to comfortt us. "they comfort me." IV. Vss. 5-6 - Why, then, should we rejoice? A, He anoints us with the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is illustrated by oil, which was used in the Bible to anoint people. B. He causes our cup to run over. C. He gives us His goodness and mercy everyday. D. He takes us to His "house" when our days are over. I hope that this look at who, what and where God is, and why we should rejoice because of it, has given you a new appreciation for His work in your life, as well as a new appreciation for the great psalm.
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Note: The idea "struck" me while I was reading a devotional book this morning. I want to share it with you. It is a brief outline, which is all I have done with it so far. I think that it'll preach. Add some meat to these bones.
God told His people not to be afraid, then He listed the reasons why they should not be afraid. They are the same reasons why we should not be afraid. I. His Presence: "For I am with thee...." A good illustration of this is when the disciples are on the stormy Sea of Galilee, and Jesus tells them "It is I, be not afraid..." II. His Person: "I am thy God...." First, He is God -- That's enough, but: Second, He says "I am thy God." He is our personal Savior. III. His Promises: A. "I will strengthen thee...." God will give us His strength. Wow! B. "I will help thee...." If we need help, we can go to no better place!!!! C. "I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness...." He will hold us up with His "righteous right hand...." Deuteronomy 33:27: "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and He shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and will say Destroy Them...." What greater assurance do we need to relieve us from being afraid? Look at this text closely and take its words into your heart. Note: I realize that sermons on the seven churches in Asia Minor are usually part of a series, but our interim pastor, Bro. Mike Everson preached on this church tonight. I am not giving you his outline, but one that came to me and I wrote in the margin of my Bible.
The church at Smyrna is one of two churches that did not have a negative message from Jesus. I want to share with you what Jesus said to them that can be beneficial to us. I. Vs. 8 - Jesus told them who He is. A. He is the first and last: God from everlasting to everlasting. Eternal! B. He was dead, crucified - really dead and buried in Joseph of Arimathea's tomb. C. He is alive forevermore. Resurrected - victorious over death. D. He is the same Jesus who looks at our church! II. Vs. 9 - Jesus told them what He knew about them. A. He knew their works, just as He knows our works. Question: What does Jesus know about our works for Him? B. He knew their tribulation and their poverty. They were being severely persecuted for their faith, which was the reason for their tribulation and poverty. C. He knew their real wealth. Jesus looks for spiritual riches in our lives, and they came out good on this. D. He knew who their enemies were. According to Bro. Everson, they were non-Christians in the church who were being used of Satan. III. Vss. 10-11 - Jesus told what He would promise them. A. He promised that they would be put in prison. "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness sake...." B. He promised that they would be tried. Real faith will always be tried. C. He promised them tribulation - trouble. Troubles cause us to grow. D. He promised that they would receive the "crown of life" because of thier faithfulness. The Jesus who wrote this message is the same Jesus whom we serve. He knows all about us. He promises that if we follow and serve Him, we will have trouble, but that we will be rewarded. Part of our witness is to show the world Christian wisdom. We do not show this wisdom by being "smart-alecky" and "know-it-all." In our text, James reveals how not to show Christian wisdom and how to do it.
I. Vss. 14-16 - How to not show Christian wisdom A. Vs. 14 - We do not show Christian wisdom by being envious, overly ambitious, or arrogant. 1. To be envious is to hate someone else's success. We are to rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. 2. Verse 16 tells us what is wrong with this kind of thinking: a. It causes disorder in Christ's Church. b. Arrogance breeds evil: "every evil thing..." c. It opens a door for sin. B. Vs. 15 - The "wisdom" described above is not from Christ, Rather it is: 1. Earthly - not from above 2. Sensual or natural 3. Devilish and demonic C. We can all act like this if we are not careful - so let's be careful! II. Vss. 13 and 17-18 - How to show Christian wisdom A. Vs. 13 - We show Christian wisdom by behaving ourselves. Example: Being gentle and not rough and callous. B. Vs. 17 - We show Christian wisdom by doing and saying the right things. 1. "Pure" - right motive 2. "Peaceable and gentle" Compare this with verse 16. 3. "Reasonable" (KJV:"easy to be entreated") 4. "Full of mercy" 5. "Good fruits" 6. "Unwavering" 7. "Without hypocrisy" C. The result of this kind of behavior is Christian righteousness. Where are you in this sermon? Are you wise in Jesus or unwise in the world? Your witness to the world depends on how you relate to this passage. Weigh your life, your attitude, your outlook on life against this text. Note: This is a very brief outline. There is a lot of meat that can be added to these bones. Bro. Joe
Notice that David waited patiently. When we pray a lot, we learn that when we make requests we have to be patient, because the Lord does not work on our timetable. Look closely at this text and you will find that: I. Vs. 1b - God hears and answers us. He is waiting to hear from us. His ears are attuned to us. There are at least three answers to prayer: "yes," "wait" and "no." But He says "no" because He has something better for us. II. Vs. 2a - He delivers us. Have you ever "bogged down"? It seems impossible to get out. Life is like that at times, but Jesus lifts us up and out of our "bogs." III. Vs. 2b - He establishes us. He takes us out of boggy ground and puts us on a solid rock. The rock that the Lord puts us on is "The Rock of Ages" - Jesus. Jesus establishes us for eternity.... IV. Vs. 3a - He renews us. A "new song" means that we have a new heart, new goals, a new attitude and new lease on life. Another name for renewal is revival. V. Vs. 3b - He uses us. When the Lord answers us, delivers us, establishes and renews us, then we are fit to be used. We do not keep what Jesus has done for us to ourselves. Others will hear us, fear God and put their trust in Him. I think our text illustrates that it is worth waiting on God to answer our prayers and change our lives. Prayer doesn't just change things. It changes people. Hold up your keys for the congregation to see. They all unlock, or start, something, not just to impress you with "man with the keys." Our text gives some keys that unlock the door to entrance into God's kingdom. What are these keys?
I. Grace: "For by grace are you saved." A. Grace is the unmerited favor of God. We don't deserve it, but we get it anyway. B. What does grace do, or what does it unlock? 1. Grace makes salvation possible. If God was not a God of grace, we would all be doomed. 2. Grace helps us in the difficulties of life. This is graphically illustrated in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10. Grace is not just a principle, it is a daily reality in our lives. 3. God's grace helps us to apply the principles of grace and mercy in our own lives. C. God offers grace to all who receive it!!! II. Faith: "By grace are you saved through faith." A. It is faith in Jesus, not just faith in faith. 1. It is faith in His saving power. 2. It is faith in His keeping power. John 10:27-29 3. It is faith in His sustaining power. 4. It is faith in His overcoming power. John 16:33 B. It is faith that Jesus will give us His Holy Spirit. John 16:7-8 1. When we accept Jesus by faith, He makes good on this promise. 2. The Holy Spirit becomes our guide and our conscience. C. Put your faith in Jesus. III. Works: Verses 9-10 A. This is not as much a key as it is what we do when the door has been opened. B. We become His workmanship. 1. When we are saved, Jesus begins a lifelong work in us. 2. Jesus is not worked in like a salve. He comes in through the Holy Spirit and works from the inside to help us to do works outside. 3. We are all unfinished works. "He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be......" C. We work for Jesus as He does His work in us. Colossians 3:17 Grace and faith are they keys to God's kingdom, and works are the result of our faith in Jesus. Put your faith in Jesus today. Note: I have just begun to read through John's Gospel this morning. I want to share with you an idea that hit me and I just had to turn my computer on and put it on CouchPotato for you. It should be a good start to a good sermon for you.
Bro. Joe It is tragic,but true, that people all around us do not know who Jesus is. Here in the "buckle of the Bible Belt," one would think this is not so, but it is. There are even regular churchgoers who have no idea of the breadth, depth and width of who Jesus is. In the first four verses of John's Gospel who Jesus is, is spelled out for us clearly and plainly. I. Vs. 1a - He is "the Word." In Greek thought "the Word" was the ultimate being. In Hebrew thought "the Word" was God - period. For some understanding of John's concept, turn to Hebrews 1:1-3. He is God's ultimate Word to mankind - period. II. Vs. 1b - He is God. No real explanation is needed here, but this fact is well-documented through the "God things" that He did while on this earth: turning water into wine, stilling a stormy sea, casting out demons, healing diseases, raising dead people. His own resurrection proves it as well. All of these are humanly impossible. III. Vs. 3 - He is Creator. You can get some real arguments on this from people who do not understand who and what Jesus is. Paul agreed that he was the creator. Read Colossians 1: 16-17. He not only created the world; He holds it together! IV. Vs. 4a - He is life. In John 14:6, Jesus declared Himself to be "the way, the truth, and the life." This means, among other things, that Jesus is the way to God, the way to real truth, and the way to real life. John 10:10 explains this well. V. Vs. 4b - He is light. In John 8:12 Jesus declared Himself to be "the light of the world." If you don't want to be engulfed by the world's darkness, live in the light of Jesus, in relationship with Him. In Matthew 5:14 Jesus called His followers "the light of the world." We are this because we live in His light, and we are to let His reflected light shine in and through us for the world to see. In vss. 15-16, we are told to let that light shine for the world to see and glorify God. According to vs. 5, the world does not understand that light, but the way we live can show them what it means to walk in His light. Who is Jesus? Look at the verses in the text again. We are supposed to be witnesses of who Jesus is. The world needs to know Him, and as we reflect Him to the world, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, they can come to know Him. People want to live the good life and to acheive it, some gamble, cheat and steal to pursue it. The good life cannot be bought, nor can it be found in worldly pursuits. The real good life is found in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Our text tells us, from the standpoint of our relationship with Jesus, how we can live the good life.
I. Vs. 13a - Watch your tongue. A. Do not speak with an evil tongue. B. Do not speak evil. James 3:6a 1. Words can help or hurt, heal or wound, encourage or discourage. 2. Be careful about the words you use. Illustration: "Never throw mud. You might miss your mark, but you will have dirty hands." (J. Parker) C. Vs. 13b - Tell the truth. 1. "Truth might hurt, but lies kill." Lies kill trust and intimacy. 2. Good cannot come from anything but truth. 3. Above all, be true to yourself. Can any less be expected of a Christian? II. Vs. 14a - Live a good life. A. "Depart from evil..." 1. If you walked into your house and saw a rattle snake at the door you would not walk over it, you would depart from it. Treat evil the same way. 2. Depart from evil, for evil only causes more evil. No good ever comes from Evil. Ask David! 3. Depart from all evil, even that evil that might not look evil to you. B. "And do good..." 1. Departing from evil is only half of the good life. Doing good completes it. Jesus leads us to be aggressively good. 2. Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, will only lead us to do good. Illustration: I read of a tombstone inscription: "Do all the good you can, to all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as ever you can." C. Get this point: There is no good in evil! III. Vs. 14b - Live in peace. A. We live in peace when we seek peace. 1. Live in peace within yourself. 2. Seek peace with other people. Romans 12:18 If you want a fuss, you can get it, but it is better to want and seek peace. B. We live in peace when we pursue peace. 1. Pursue it through prayer. Philippians 4:6-7 2. Pursue it through your personal relationship with Jesus. 3. Pursue it through love and respect for other people. C. Live in peace and be at peace. I think that you will agree that if we watch what we say, stay away from evil and live in peace, that you can live a good life. Take it and go with it!!!! |
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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