"Warning, Walking, Weary, and Well": Sermon Outline for Sunday, September 26, 2010

Warning, Walking, Weary, and Well

John 4:1-6

Proposition:  Our Savior's humanity enables Him to relate to and sympathize with our experiences.

Transition:  Our text clearly reveals Christ's humanity by showing 5 characteristics our Lord shares with us.

I.  Like Us, Jesus Learned (v. 1)

A.  He Learned from His Parents

B.  He Learned from His Teachers

C.  He Learned from His Experiences

D.  He Learned from God and His Word

II.  Like Us, Jesus Had Relationships (vv. 1-2)

A.  He Had Friends

B.  He Had Followers

C.  He Had Foes

III.  Like Us, Jesus Had Goals & Limitations (vv. 3-5)

A.  What of His Goals?  (v. 3)

B.  What of His Limitations? (vv. 4-5)

IV.  Like Us, Jesus Had Suffering (v. 6)

A.  He Suffered Physically

B.  He Suffered Mentally

V.  Like Us, Jesus Had Purpose (v. 4)

"He Who Comes From Above is the Son": Sermon Outline for Sunday, September 19, 2010

“He Who Comes From Above is the Son”

John 3:31-36

Proposition:  Nothing and no one compares with Jesus for He and He alone is the Greatest.

Transition:  In John the Baptist's closing testimony concerning Jesus, we see 4 proofs of Christ's greatness.

I.  We See His Greatness in His Character.

A.             He is From Above. (v. 31)

B.             He is Full of the Spirit. (v. 34)

C.             He is Loved by the Father. (v. 35)

D.             He is the Son. (v. 35)

II.  We See His Greatness in His Witness.

A.             His Witness is Based on Experience. (v. 32).

B.             His Witness Agrees with God. (v. 33)

C.             His Witness is the Words of God. (v. 34)

III.  We See His Greatness in His Authority.

A.  He is Above All. (v. 31)

B.  He Has Been Given All. (v. 35)

IV.  We See His Greatness in His Eternal Significance. (v. 36)

A.             Without Him We are Under God's Wrath.

B.             With Him We Have Eternal Life.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

I was asked about the quote from Jonathan Edwards' famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" (preached in 1741 during the Great Awakening). Here is the text of the portion I quoted during the sermon:

So that thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit, and are already sentenced to it; and God is dreadfully provoked: his anger is as great towards them as those that are actually suffering the execution of the fierceness of his wrath in hell; and they have done nothing in the least to appease or abate that anger, neither is God in the least bound by any promise to hold them up for one moment. The devil is waiting for them, hell is gaping for them, the flames gather and flash about them, and swallow them up; the fire pent up in their own hearts is struggling to break out; and they have no interest in any Mediator; there are no means within reach that can be any security to them. In short they have no refuge, nothing to take hold of; all that preserves them at any moment is the mere arbitrary will, and uncovenanted, unobliged forebearance of an incensed God.

You may read the entire sermon at the website here.

Preliminary Information on the Bethesda Bible Conference, October 14-17, 2010

Bethesda Bible Conference

October 14 - 17, 2010

Thursday-Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

Theme:  "The Grace of God"

Bill Savage, pastor of St. Clair Southern Baptist Church in St. Clair, MO

"The Grace That Keeps Us"

Galatians 5:1-4

Thursday, October 14 at 6:30 p.m.

S. Scott Lee, pastor of Rockport Baptist Church in Arnold, MO

"Grace to Conquer All My Sin"

Romans 5:18-21

Friday, October 15 at 6:30 p.m.

Dr. John Greever, pastor of First Baptist Church in Fenton, MO

"The Sufficiency of Grace"

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Saturday, October 16 at 6:30 p.m.

Bruce D. Walker, pastor of Bethesda Baptist Church in St. Charles, MO

"The Stewardship of Grace"

1 Peter 4:7-11

Sunday, October 17 at 10:30 a.m.

Worship Music for ALL Services Provided by:      Broken4One

Sunday, September 19 at Bethesda Baptist

This coming Sunday is a special one in the life of our church (aren't they all?). At 9:15, we'll join together to study the Word of God. At 10:30, we'll meet together to worship our God (the sermon is titled "He who comes from above is the Son" and will be an exposition of John 3:31-36). At 6 that evening, we'll meet again to further study the Word of God.

In the midst of the day, though, immediately following our morning worship, we'll gather downstairs and begin our annual church picnic. There should be lots of food, games/activities, and fellowship! We want everyone to plan on staying and joining us for this great time. Invite family members and friends as well.

The church will provide chicken and pizza for our meal. Everyone is asked to bring a side, a drink, and a dessert, perhaps a little extra of each to help serve our guests. Most importantly, bring yourself!

"Transition": Sermon Outline for Sunday, September 12, 2010

“Transition”

John 3:22-30

Proposition:  God has called each believer into ministry for Christ.

Transition:  In the transitional ministry of John the Baptist, we learn 6 lessons concerning our ministry for Christ.

I.  We Learn Perseverance in Ministry (vv. 22-24)

A.             John did not stop when his primary goal was attained.

B.             John did not stop when crowds waned.

C.             John did not stop when confronted by enemies.

D.             John did not stop when confronted by followers.

II.  We Learn a Proper Attitude for Ministry (vv. 25-26)

A.             Ministry is NOT about Numbers.

B.             Ministry is NOT about Popularity.

C.             Ministry is NOT Competition

III.  We Learn the Source of Ministry (v. 27)

- Sovereign gift from a sovereign God

IV.  We Learn the Purpose for Ministry (v. 28)

A.             We must recognize why God saved us.

B.             We must recognize who we are NOT.

C.             We must recognize our role in His plan.

V.  We Learn True Joy in Ministry (v. 29)

- The greatest joy experienced by a Christian is found in serving the Lord with the ministry He has given you.

VI.  We Learn the Objective of Ministry (v. 30)

A.             There must be a diminishing of self.

B.             There must be a growing of Christ.

C.             This MUST be.

We are ALL John the Baptists pointing people to Christ

William Carey:  “When I am gone, don’t talk about William Carey; talk about William Carey’s Savior.  I desire that Christ alone might be magnified.”