ACTS 6:7 The Bride's Wedding Preparations!

SERIES #11: ACTS OF THE APOSTLES - Witnesses to Jerusalem
TOPIC: Bride (of Christ); church health, church growth, faithfulness, persecution, Satan

TITLE: Bride’s Wedding Preparations - Satan’s Playpen!
TEXT: Acts 6:7 (1-7)

“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”

[H. A. Ironside] In chapter six “we see … vividly Satan's two master methods by which … he has endeavored to hinder the progress of the work of God.

“In the first half … we see him endeavoring to hinder by inward dissension; in the other half by outward persecution (Stephan’s martyrdom) ….

“When dissension is checked within, then Satan's work is hindered without, and the work of God goes on in great power and blessing.” [Lectures on the Book of Acts, p. 151, 158]

[John R. W. Stott] “We’ve now seen … three tactics which the devil employed … to destroy the church.

“First, he tried through the Jewish authorities, to suppress it by force

Secondly through the married couple Ananias and Sapphira, to corrupt it by hypocrisy; and

Thirdly through some … widows to distract it … from prayer and preaching, and so expose it to error and evil.

“If he had succeeded in any of these attempts, the new community of Jesus [might] have been annihilated in its infancy.” [The Spirit, The Church, and The World, p. 124]

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How do we see the Bride's responses to the three tactics mentioned by Stott?
CONCISE OUTLINE

I. DURING THE PERIOD OF FORCE AND INTIMIDATION
II. DURING THE PERIOD OF CORRUPTION BY HYPOCRISY
III. DURING THE PERIOD OF INTERNAL DISSENSION

TRUTH CLAIMS/CONTEXT: Verses 1-6 describe a simple controversy within the bridal party. Verse 7 is the first of six supplemental postscripts proclaiming the bride’s vitality.

Before the arrival of the devil’s fiery darts there had been one other event worthy of note.

The Lord’s commission to the Bride in chapter one, verse eight …

“you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

The question, from the beginning, is the faithfulness of the Bride to the Bridegroom ...

How did she do in the time following:

“but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” [1:8a]

“These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer” [1:14]

Then Peter preached and about 3000 were added that day [2:41]

Then Scripture says …

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.…

“And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Acts 2:42-43, 47b

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How do we see the Bride's responses to the three tactics of the devil mentioned by Stott?
EXPANDED OUTLINE

I. DURING THE PERIOD OF FORCE AND INTIMIDATION

First, the devil tried to use the Jewish authorities, to suppress her by force and intimidation (i.e., intimidation by civil and religious leaders).

Then arrives the intense persecution of Peter, John, and the lame beggar [Ch. 3, 4].

Satan looked to his bench and saw all of the religious leaders of the Temple and the City of Zion [3:5-6].

There's no question, great damage has been done to the Bride by the manhandling of religious leaders and civil authorities; but, in the end, it’s all about how the Bride responded to threats.

When I think of contemporary church leadership, it’s hard to get by those who’ve fallen this past year or two, or get beyond those preaching a perverted, powerless gospel.

A gospel without grace, shed blood, repentance, hell, and a risen Savior - this is not Good News!

It’s not just themselves who are hurt but their flocks and their families who suffer … innocents abound. Friends the Bride must be vigilant concerning her leaders …

So how did the "Authentic Church" do under this threat?

“But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.”

Acts 4:4

II. DURING THE PERIOD OF CORRUPTION BY HYPOCRISY

Secondly the devil tried to stop the Bride through Ananias and Sapphira; attempting to corrupt her by hypocrisy.

The whole world watches the Bride to see how she deals with issues and people; this was not less watched; the viper “hypocrisy” has buried not a few churches and church leaders.

How did things turn out for her?

“And great fear came over the whole church, and over all who heard of these things.”

“And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number …”

Acts 5:11, 14

The Bride is “in the world, but not of the world”; yet today she continues to become more and more like the world ... and in the process less and less powerful (unlike the authentic church in Acts).

Consider the two hypocrites, Ananias and Sapphira, here, holding back from the Lord; then consider the 3% to 10% reality of the Bride’s current tithing habits. Is our holding back any less condemning than theirs?

We are all deserving of a death sentence; remember, it’s all about the Bride’s response to threat.

III. DURING THE PERIOD OF INTERNAL DISSENSION

Thirdly the devil attacked through some Hellenist widows to distract her leaders … from prayer and preaching, and so expose her to error and evil.

How successful was he?

“The word of God kept on spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.”

Acts 6:7

Probably the most painful and damaging of all the devil’s devices are those “who spreads strife among brothers” [cf. Proverbs 6:16-19].

From Genesis to today we see Satan plying his trade in duplicity, backbiting, tale-bearing, guile, deceit, disbelief, dissemblance, gossiping, politics, manipulation, apostasy, and heresy.

In spite of the lessons of the history of the engagement period we see generation after generation of Christians walking in denial – NIMC ("Not In My Church"; a play on the colloquial acronym NIMB - "Not In My Backyard").

Well folks, these people belong to somebody’s church ... remember it’s all about how the Bride responds.

APPLICATION: In closing out his comments on this passage, Ironside asked his people …

“My brethren, is there not something here that ought to speak to every one of our hearts? Are you praying for a revival and blessing in the Church of God? Do you ever go into the presence of God and say, ‘Lord, revive me; is there something in me that hinders a revival; has this mouth of mine been working overtime to hinder the work of the Spirit of God?’

“If we have, we may all say, ‘God, give me grace to judge it in the presence of the Lord, that the Holy Spirit may have free course and the Word go forth with great power.”

More to the point, let’s contextualize this …

• Are there not “Hellenists” among us?
• Are there not needs here, in San Carlos, at this time, in this place with these people?
• Shouldn’t we “select from among [ourselves] men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of [these tasks]”?

Your elders and deacons will be looking for you to answer that question!

“is [it] desirable for [your leadership] to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables”?

CHALLENGE: The entire scope of today's message deals with the Bride’s preparation for the day her Bridegroom will come to take her to His Father’s house. And the question that must be answered is this: We know how she responded in the to those who would disrupt her preparations for that great day in the records of the early church - how is she responding today?

In every case, the Bride is seen growing in numbers, in strength, and in the fear of the Lord.

The record shows she had no need for revival, for every day she was living in real-time revival … ever wonder what that’s like? I do!

Acts, Bride, Christianity, Expository,
Homiletics, Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

DEUTERONOMY 8:1-10: Stop! Look! Listen! Think!

TOPIC: Blessing; Obedience, Preparation, Sanctification, Voice (of God)
TITLE: "Stop, Look, Listen and Think! Hear the voice of God!"

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why did God encourage Israel to stop, look, listen and think?
CONCISE OUTLINE

I. That they might profit from their past! (v. 2a)
II. That they might be perfected in their present! (v. 6)
III. That they might be possessors of His promises in their future! (vv. 7-10, 16b)

TRUTH CLAIM/CONTEXT: [Cf. Deuteronomy 1:1-14] Israel's forty years in the wilderness has come to an end; Moses' life is also at an end; God tells Moses to confront His children with His words . . . one last time.

They are to leave the plain of preparation and go to the land of promise to possess it!

Here in chapter 8, God has Moses challenge the people to think (a.k.a.: reflect) upon their past, their present and their future.

The question we will want to answer is WHY?

[RR Crossing] In the mid-west, as a youth, I recall rail crossing signs . . . each looked like a big, white, letter ex. Three arms had a single word written on it: one read, STOP; another, LOOK; the third, LISTEN; while the last was unmarked.

Considering those who take liberties at railroad crossings today perhaps that fourth arm should read, THINK! The money and effort consumed in the attempt to prevent accidents at these crossings is staggering. Why? Because . . .

1. people don't focus on what is important in life
2. people don't think before they act and
   
3. people are prone to take risks . . . ignoring consequences!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why did God encourage Israel to stop, look, listen and think?
EXPANDED OUTLINE

I. That They Might Profit from Their Past! (v. 2a)

"And you shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years . . . "

Deuteronomy 8:2

A. "all the way which the LORD your God has led you"
B. What was God's purpose for wanting to remind them of this?

1. Read v. 3 (to be humbled, to hunger, to understand)
2. Read v. 4 (clothing=provision)
3. Read v. 5 (to know in their heart that God, as any good father, was at work in their discipline and that it was for their own good)

"Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise the rest of your days."

Proverbs 19:20

II. That They Might Be Perfected in Their Present! (v. 6)

"Therefore, you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God . . . "

v. 6a

Why?

A. "to walk in His ways"
B. "to fear Him"

III. And That They Might Be Possessors of His Promises in Their Future! (vv. 7-10, 16b)

"... to do good for you in the end."

v. 16b

How?

A. By ...

"bringing you into a good land . . . "

v. 7a

B. To ...

"a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and honey; a land where you shall eat food without scarcity, in which you shall not lack anything; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper."

vv. 7b-9

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Now that we've answered the question "How?" let's answer the question "Why?"

So that . . .

"When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land which He has given you."

v. 10

So how did things turn out? Not well, as we know. People tend to get familiar with things and then take them for granted . . . like trains at rail crossings.

[HEAVENS] In a book by H.G. Wells, Wm. Clissold, one of his characters is quoted as saying: "There was a time when my little soul was uplifted at the starry enigma of the sky. That's absolutely gone. I remember looking at the stars one might, and I was in ecstasy . . . but now I can go out to look . . . [like I would] at the pattern on the wallpaper [on a theater wall]." [H. G. Wells; in Outlines and Illustrations, MacPherson, p.46]

But you don't do that with God. Israel and all they experienced were "examples for us, that we should not crave" what God does not want for us! [1 Corinthians 10:6]

God challenged Israel to remember what He had done for them but , by the end of their 40 year camping trip, they had taken Him for granted and still longed for the garlic and onions of Egypt.

READ ALOUD: Deuteronomy 8:11-20

As a nation we have the same dilemma . . . do we look at the history of our great nation and see the hand of God in every blessing. And we claim its wealth comes from the power of our own hand?

In the light of God's unchanging character, would He encourage us to STOP, LOOK, LISTEN, and THINK about this latter day failure? Would He want us to look forward and consider His promises in the shadow of this time?

1. If so, what lessons would He have us learn?

[LIVING STONES] That we aren't bricks made by human hands in a kiln over a few hours. We are "living stones." [1 Peter 2:5]

Stones take ages and ages to form in the crucible of the earth's crust; followed by ages of washing and weathering . . . to smooth out the roughness and round them. This is done to so they can be clearly differentiated from plain old rough, ragged rocks.

Francis de Sales said, "This [life] is but a quarry where the living stones of the heavenly Jerusalem are cut and washed."

God is preparing us to be good "Christians"; He is preparing us for our place in the wall of His eternal Holy Temple.

2. If so, what commands are we to keep?

We are not of the law but of righteousness by faith!

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."

John 14:15

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love ..."

[John 15:10a

This is the paradox of obedience: We can't keep His commandments unless we first acknowledge His authority to command; yet we cannot (it seems) acknowledge His right to command unless we begin by desiring to keep them.

"For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day."

2 Timothy 1:12

3. If so, what promises have we been given?

"seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, . . . for by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust."

2 Peter 1:3a,4

"But it isn't as though the word of God has failed. For they're not all Israel who are descended from Israel; neither are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED. That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants."

Romans 9:6b-8

Above us are the blinking reminders of our heavenly future; below us is the dust of our earthly past; and in between . . . ???

Well, between:

"there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

1 Timothy 2:5

And we have taken to heart the promise of Jesus our Lord, our God, and our Savior: "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." [Matthew 28:20]

Christianity, Deuteronomy, Expository,
Homiletics, Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

Judges 2:3: Thorns & Snares

TOPIC: Obedience; Disobedience, Justice, Wrath
TITLE: THORNS & SNARES – The Proof Is Indeed In the Pudding!

TEXT: Judges 2:3

“Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.”

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are we to learn from the lesson of Israel?
CONCISE OUTLINE:

I. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE DUE TO OUR DISOBEDIENCE!
II. OUR ENEMIES WILL (probably) BE GOD’S TESTING OF US!

A. Our Enemies Will Be Pains In Our Daily Lives!
B. Our Enemies Will Trap Us In Things We Can't Control!

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Israel is not far from the shores of the Wilderness and yet here they are in this predicament. (READ ALOUD: Judges 2:10-11)

And when God rebuked them they named the place Bochim (Baw-gghh-heem; the weepers or the place of weeping).

Here is the basic outline of the entire Book of Judges:

Israel –

1. Is instructed to obey
2. Agrees to obey
3. Disobeys
4. Suffers
5. Cries out (repentance)
6. Is judged
7. Is restored
8. Is instructed to obey

That’s it; over and over Israel goes through this cycle. Even individuals are shown to exhibit the same characteristics (e.g., Samson, priests, Jephthah, the greedy Levite, etc.).

Paul says this about the Old Testament ...

“Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.”

1 Corinthians 10:11

Would you say we’ve been in that cycle here in the United States? In the world?

Now look at what our history with God shows: Crusades, Dark Ages, Popish religion, paganism, materialism, Holocaust, Inquisition, witch trials, slavery, 500 years of conflict in Ireland, Bosnia/Rwanda/Darfur, terrorism, Islamic radicalism, wars, abortion, pedophilia, pornography, secular humanism, public homosexuality, judicial activism & tyranny, greed, selfishness, drugs, promiscuity, educational decay, taxation without representation, social & racial discrimination … and I could go on!

Worse haven’t we become a world which blames others for these thorns and snares?

You see our enemies don’t have to be nations, but they may be; one thing is for sure … if they are allowed to have at us, “they will become as thorns in [our] sides and [they] will be a snare to [us]”!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are we to learn from the lesson of Israel?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE DUE TO OUR DISOBEDIENCE!

Consider how the contemporary church has disobeyed God ...

A. The Great Commandments [Matthew 22:37-38]
B. First Things First

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Matthew 6:33

D. Sacrifice

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

Romans 12:1

E. Others

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.

Philippians 2:4

[CHEAP WORDS] A non-believing lawyer went to a friend’s church, listened watching speechlessly to the behavior of many who he knew … especially a number whom he’d seen in court or whom he represented.

“How did you like the service?” His friend asked at the close of the service. He answered, “As a lawyer let me respond in this way: there is a world of difference between testimony and evidence.

"Words are cheap; it’s easy to give testimony for Christ, but quite another matter to offer evidence of God's purifying power in one’s life in Christ. Didn’t your Jesus say ... 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.'” [Mark 7:6]

II. OUR ENEMIES WILL (probably) BE GOD’S TESTING OF US!

“Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel …”

Judges 3:1

A. OUR ENEMIES WILL BE PAINS IN OUR DAILY LIVES!

1. Entertainment industry is surely testing us

a) Audio & video
b) Prurient & voyeuristic desires
c) Gambling and pampering

2. Political system is surely testing us

a) Lacks a clear Christian national-view
b) Lacks a Christian worldview

3. Educational system is surely testing us

a) Corrupting the minds of our young people
b) Anti-Americanism
c) Lying & cheating
d) Communistic & socialistic

B. OUR ENEMIES WILL TRAP US IN THINGS WE CAN’T CONTROL!

1. Our own churches

a) Mega-church growth
b) Theological conflict
c) Church splits & pastoral hostility
d) Tares & wolves

2. Judicial system:

a) 9th Circuit decision this week
b) Kelo
c) Gay marriage
d) Destruction of the family

3. Secularism-humanism

a) Paganism
b) Drug trade
c) Pornographers
d) Materialism
e) Victim class
f) Laziness

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: So where have we disobeyed the LORD? Remind them of the above AND it was up to God’s people to drive the enemies of Israel out but it was in fact the Lord who drove them out.

And don’t you see: God’s people are failing to be obedient by faith so that He will drive them out for us!

Except with obedience and repentance, we will see no change in our nations! [2 Chronicles 7:14]

[REAL WITNESS] Let's not be like those who are seen and heard being un-Christian. People who know we are Christians will wonder greatly at our conduct.

We might say, “I do this or that not as a Christian, but as a sinner saved by grace." Or we might even try, “I do this or that not as a Christian, I am at work where I may not act like a Christian.”

“But,” the observer will ask, “when the sinner or worker goes to Hell, what will become of the Christian?”

How will God judge us when we appear before His throne? Will it be for what we sang or prayed in church, or will it be for our witness before a lost and dying world?

It will be whether His Son ever knew us!

[NAME CHANGE] Once a soldier was reported to Alexander the Great for showing cowardice on a particular occasion; when the soldier appeared before Alexander the Great, he asked him his name. He said, “Alexander, sir!” Alexander rebuked him for the dishonor he’d brought upon the name and ordered him to change his name or behave in a way that honored the name.

It would not be a better thing to have fewer Christians laboring in the Lord’s vineyard but it would be to have better ones.

It would seem to me that most of what passes as Christianity today could certainly use a name change.

Didn’t the LORD say we were not to take His name in vain? Isn’t calling oneself a Christian but not behaving as one taking the name of Jesus in vain?

Christianity, Expository, Homiletics,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

NUMBERS: Full Sermons

The following are links to full sermons, preached at FBC La Verne, California, or at San Carlos Community Church (SCCC) in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico ...

6:23-27

INVOKING GOD'S NAME - Remembering the Lord's Blessing!

14:8-9

WORDS TO LIVE BY - Facing the Unknown with Emmanuel?

quick link: NUMBERS Seed Archive (INACTIVE AT THIS TIME)

Expository, Homiletics, Numbers,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

JOB: Full Sermons

The following are links to full sermons, preached at FBC La Verne (FBC/LV) in Southern California or at San Carlos Community Church (SCCC) in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico ...

14:14

BETWEEN HEAVEN & EARTH – Four Reasons for Our Sojourn!

23:8-10

HE KNOWS - The Way We Take!

Expository, Homiletics, Job,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

CHRIST DOES NOT PRAY: How We Should Relate to Our Ingathering!

TOPIC: Death; Ingathering
TITLE: CHRIST DOES NOT PRAY - How We Should Relate to Our Ingathering! [Outline and some text adapted from: Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening, "Morning", May 2]

TEXT: John 17:15

I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.

TRUTH CLAIM/CONTEXT: "It is a sweet and blessed event which will occur to all believers in God's own time – the going home to be with Jesus."

Spurgeon comes to terms with the sheep's weariness from life's tribulations and the selfishness of a spiritual-philosophy that says, "Let me out of here. I can't take it any more!"

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why does the Lord hold back our ingathering?

I. BECAUSE WE ARE NOT YET READY

A. WE HAVE WORK YET TO DO

We can say with Spurgeon that “in a few more years the Lord's soldiers, [those] who are now fighting ‘the good fight of faith,’” and that they

1. “will have done with conflict and”
2. will “have entered into the joy of their Lord”

But that time is not yet … “although Christ prays that his people may eventually be with him where he is, he does not ask that they may be taken at once away from this world to heaven. He wishes them to stay here”

B. WE ARE NOT YET RIPE FOR THE HARVEST

Spurgeon says,

1. “Yet how frequently does the wearied pilgrim put up the prayer, ‘O that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away and be at rest’
2. but Christ does not pray like that, he leaves us in his Father's hands, until, like shocks of corn fully ripe, we shall each be gathered into our Master's garner”

II. BECAUSE OTHERS ARE NOT YET READY

A. THINK OF OTHERS [Philippians 2:3-4; Christ's love]

1. “Jesus does not plead for our instant removal by death”
2. “for to abide in the flesh is needful for others if not profitable for us”

B. ABSTAIN FROM EVIL [1 Thessalonians 5:22; our witness]

1. “He asks that we … be kept from evil”
2. “But he never asks for us to be admitted to the inheritance in glory till we are of full age”
3. We must not hide our light from the lost

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: “Christians often want to die when they have any trouble. Ask them why, and they tell you, ‘Because we would be with the Lord.’

“We fear it is not so much because they are longing to be with the Lord, as because they desire to get rid of their troubles; else they would feel the same wish to die at other times when not under the pressure of trial. They want to go home, not so much for the Savior’s company, as to be at rest.

“Now it is quite right to desire to depart if we can do it in the same spirit that Paul did [Philippians 1:21], because to be with Christ is far better, but the wish to escape from trouble is a selfish one. Rather let your care and wish be to glorify God by your life here as long as he pleases, even though it is in the midst of toil, and conflict, and suffering, and leave him to say when ‘it is enough.’”

Death, Testing, Trials, Tribulations, Troubles

1 Samuel 3:1-10 - How we ought to answer when He calls!

TEXT: 1 Samuel 3:1-10

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place ... and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was, that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am."

Then he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, lie down again." ... Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him. (this happened twice more) ... .

Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening.”

TOPIC: Calling; hearing
TITLE: HERE I AM - How we ought to answer when He calls!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How ought we respond when the Lord calls?
CONCISE OUTLINE:

I. GOD CALLS THOSE WORTHY OF HIS TESTING!
II. GOD CALLS THOSE WORTHY OF HIS CHALLENGE!
III. GOD CALLS THOSE WORTHY OF GOD SIZED VISIONS!
IV. GOD CALLS THOSE WHO WILL BEAR HIS MESSAGES!

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Samuel’s mother had given up her son to the service of the Lord as a fulfillment of her promise to God; if He opened her womb that she might have a son she would dedicate the boy to Him.

To double her trouble she was one of two wives; of the two one was fertile and it wasn't Samuel’s mommy, Hannah. [1 Samuel 1 & 2:11]

Another aspect of the passage’s context is the priesthood of Eli and his miserable apostate and heretical sons … who Eli knew of and did nothing. God cursed Eli and his seed [1 Samuel 2:12-36] and said …

I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always.

[1 Samuel 2:35]

The real story of our passage is the genuine and innocent obedience of the boy to his surrogate father on earth, and his genuine and earnest desire to serve his Father in heaven.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How ought we respond when the Lord calls?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. GOD CALLS THOSE WORTHY OF HIS TESTING!

A. READER – Genesis 22:1-3 (we ask members to stand and read key Scripture for the message)

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

B. Our Response should be “Here I am” because God may test us

1. Even though it may be costly
2. Even though the world may laugh

II. GOD CALLS THOSE WORTHY OF HIS CHALLENGE!

A. READER - Genesis 46:2-4

God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am." He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes."

B. Our response should be “Here I am” because God may challenge us at a difficult moment

1. And God is faithful to restore
2. Consider Job and Romans 8:28

III. GOD CALLS THOSE WORTHY OF GOD SIZED VISIONS!

A. READER - Exodus 3:2-4

The angel of the LORD appeared to (Moses) in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, "I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up." When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."

B. Our response should be “Here I am” because we never know when we may be chosen

1. To change the course of time and eternity
2. Remember Esther –

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not imagine that you in the king's palace can escape any more than all the Jews. For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place and you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?"

[Esther 4:13-14]

IV. GOD CALLS THOSE WHO WILL BEAR HIS MESSAGES!

A. Isaiah 6:8-10

Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?" Then I said, "Here I am. Send me!" He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on listening, but do not perceive; Keep on looking, but do not understand.' "Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Otherwise they might see with their eyes, Hear with their ears, Understand with their hearts, And return and be healed."

B. Acts 9:10-15

Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Here I am, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight. ... . Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine ... "

C. Hebrews 1:1-2

God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.

D. Matthew 28:18-20

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Our response should be “Here I am” because, if we are indeed authentic blood bought believers, that shed blood of Jesus flowed down upon us and poured out on the ground upon which we stand ... "Behold, we are standing on holy ground."

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Long ago, in the Temple of the King on High, a voice was heard ringing down the halls of heaven, "Who will go that this stubborn people might hear? Who?"

And a voice was heard to answer back, "Here I am, Father! Send Me! I will be Your living sacrifice upon the Mount of the King!"

READER - Romans 10:11-15

For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"

That any of us has not been called by God to be tested as Abraham, or challenged like Jacob, or trusted like Moses, should not be reason for rejoicing but for sorrow. It should say something to us that we’ve not been called. It should say that we're not considered worthy of God’s testing, challenge, or trust.

You ask, “What can I do?”

Let me suggest that you did not come this far, to this time, to this place alone … but in the presence and power of God.

The circumstances of this moment in your life are not greater than Him. He knows them better than you, and yet He permits them, and He will overcome them if you allow Him to. You are not to fret as though He does not know, does not care, and cannot overcome. Yours is to step out in faith, knowing only that He is there and here.

You are both His creation and His new creation. You are His to do with as it pleases Him - to bless or to consume, to serve or to endure. Today and every day belong to the Lord; it is the only day you have to serve and glorify Him. And so give Him all you have for today.

Lee Ann Womack sings a song called "I Hope You Dance," here are a couple of stanzas ...

Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance …
I hope you dance; I hope you dance

Give the heavens above, More than just a passing glance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance

[Finney] When Chas.Finney finished law school he reported to a law office as an apprentice. The senior lawyer quickly indoctrinated him in the office routine. Then the young lawyer sat at his desk and carried on this conversation with himself.

"What are you going to do when you finish your apprenticeship?"
"Hang out my shingle and practice law, of course!"
"What then?"
"Why, make a lot of money!"
"What then?"
"When I get rich I shall retire."
"What then?"
"Well, then I will die."
"What then?"

So let me ask you what you are making of the life the Lord has given you? What's next?

Calling, Christianity, Expository Preaching, Homiletics,
Preaching, Sermon Outlines, Sermons

2 PETER - Seed Archive

2 Peter 2:4

“God … cast them into hell.”

TOPIC: Hell

TITLE: A Message from Hell!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is the message of hell?

[FIRE & BRIMSTONE] I recall a story of a Scottish pastor mesmerized by the fire in a glass factory's furnace. Thinking he was alone, the preacher said aloud, "Oh, what the fires of hell must be like!"

The next Sunday a worker from the glass factory confronted the man about his statement. "Oh preacher." He said. "I have had no rest since I overheard you say that. Tell me what I must do to avoid the fires of hell?"

The problem of human destinies has pressed hard upon Christians who take Scripture seriously, for the Word affirms three things:
I. The reality of hell.

The reality of hell as a state of eternal destructive punishment in which God's judicial retribution for sin is directly experienced.

II. The certainty of hell.

The certainty of hell for all who choose it by rejecting Jesus Christ and his offer of eternal life.

III. The equity of hell.

The justice of hell as a fit divine infliction upon humanity for our lawless and cruel deeds.

[J. I. Packer] "It was, to be sure, hell-deserving sinners whom Jesus came to save, and all who put their trust in him may know themselves forgiven, justified, and accepted forever—and thus delivered from the wrath to come. But what of those who lack this living faith?” [“Good Pagans and God’s Kingdom,” Christianity Today, pp. 22-25]

2 Peter, Homiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Sermons

ESTHER - Seed Archive

4:14

... who knows whether you have not attained royalty for such a time as this?

TOPIC: Calling; Faith, Fearlessness, Timing, Will (of God), , Women in the Bible
TITLE: THE CALLING OF GOD: No one knows when or where it will come!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why should all believers be prepared to be called?

I. NO ONE KNOWS FOR WHEN & WHERE THEY'RE CALLED!
II. BUT ALL ARE CALLED FOR SOME TIME & PLACE!

A. Some times are very inconvenient!
B. Some places are -

1. Mountains!
a. Heights
b. Meadows
2. Canyons!
a. Cliffs
b. Bottoms

III. BUT ALL ARE CALLED TO SERVE GOD

A. When He Chooses!
B. Where He Chooses!

10:3

... Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus and ... in favor with the multitude of his kinsmen, one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the welfare of his whole nation.

TOPIC: Witness; Imitation, Righteousness

TITLE: HOW TO BE A TRULY GREAT MAN! [Adapted from Spurgeon’s Morning & Evening, November 28, "Evening"]

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How did Mordecai become great among his people?

I. HE HONORED HIS MASTER!
II. HE FOUND FAVOR AMONG HIS PEOPLE!
III. HE SOUGHT THE GOOD OF HIS PEOPLE!
IV. HE SPOKE FOR THE WELFARE OF ALL!

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Be like Mordecai … honor those in authority over you, be above reproach, look out for your own, but don’t discriminate against any!

Bible, Calling, Esther, Homiletics,
Old Testament, Preaching, Redemption,
Sacrifice, Sermon Outlines, Sermons

NUMBERS 14:8-9 - Words to Live By!

TOPIC: Fear (of the Unknown); New Years, Rebellion, Unbelief
TITLE: WORDS TO LIVE BY - Facing the Unknown with Emmanuel?

TEXT:

"If the LORD is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us - a land which flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the the LORD; and do not fear the people of the land, for they will be our prey. Their protection [Lit. shadow ] has been removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them."

TRUTH CLAIM/CONTEXT: Each New Year I seem driven to take a hard look at what's behind and ahead ... you? I want to take a hard look at this New Year for a variety of reasons; some practical, some spiritual, but mostly in light of the proverb - "If you're not a part of the solution, you're a big part of the problem."

Sin and human frailty give people short memories relative to historical hardship and experience.

The spies have returned and given their report; five to one against. That's the bottom-line. The people, blame God and want Moses and Aaron stoned. (Miriam? Is this a case of collective Chauvinism?)

In our effort see if we are a part of the solution or the problem we are going to do some roll play; God will play the part of Moses, Dan and I will play the parts of Joshua and Caleb, and ya'al will be the ten negative and the Hebrew children ... who wants to be Aaron.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: In the face of an enemy, what consequences arise from a lack of trust in God versus a blind trust in Him?

I. THE CONSEQUENCES OF DISTRUST ARE CLEARLY SEEN IN ITS ...

A. Leading to Behavior Based on Emotion [vv. 1-3, 10, 40-45]

B. Leading to a Fear of the Temporal [vv. 1-3, 9]

C. Leading to a Loss of Life

"What profit is it ..." [Luke 9:23-25]

D. Leading to an Injurious Relationship with Others
E. Every tribe and family suffered because of the unbelief of eight men!

II. THE CONSEQUENCES OF TRUST ARE CLEARLY SEEN IN ITS ...

A. Leading to Behavior Based on Humility and Wisdom [vv. 5, 20-21]

1. Giving Him recognition [v. 17]
2. Proclaiming His attributes [vv. 18, 19]

B. Leading to a Fear of God [Pro. 1:7]

Who should we fear ... ? [Matthew 10:28]

C. Leading to ...

1. An Extended Temporal Existence [vv. 24, 30, 36-37]
2. An Endless Eternal Existence [Luke 9:26]

D. Revealing ...

1. Apart from Him ... [John 15:5]
2. If you're not with Him, then He is not "Emmanuel" for you! [Num 14:42]

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: With this New Year before us, we are confronted with a challenge similar to that of the Hebrew children in the Wilderness.

In three short years we've had 9/11, the wars in Afghanistan and in Iraq, the Florida-four (four class four hurricanes in three months' time), the stress of Champaign 2004, and now the Christmas Tsunami.

What can we expect in the next year? Truthfully? We have no way of knowing, yet it is probable we can expect more of the same.

After all we still have the ongoing war in Iraq, the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, and Syria's involvement in the insurgency; the surprising increase in anti-Americanism, Antisemitism, and anti-Christianism; mainland China and Taiwan, an phenomenal increase in ungodliness (pornography, sexual perversion, judicial activism, unresponsive elected officials, corruption, graft, greed, and pridefulness.

"So, pastor, that's your encouragement for the New Year?"

[ASSURANCE] Charles Ellis is a tremendous sports fan. He videotapes his favorites while he is away at work.

When it's time to sit in his easy chair and view the tape, he doesn't start at the beginning. Instead he fast-forwards to the end to discover who won. If his team lost he puts the tape away, but if his team won he'll rewind, get some snacks, and watch the whole thing.

Some have laughed at this. But he says, no matter how bad his team looks, he never worries … he knows the ending.

When it comes to our faith, we ought to have a VCR mentality: no matter how bad things look, we know how it ends. [adapted from Perfect Illustrations, p. 13]

[DAILY OBEDIENCE] When Anne Graham Lotz and her husband attend football games at the University of North Carolina, people cram the entrances and she can't see where she's going.

Her husband, at 6’7”, can see over the crowd, so he takes her hand and leads her to their seats. "The way I get from the car to my seat is just by holding his hand and following him closely through the crowd," she says.

She uses the same procedure with the Lord. “I just try to faithfully follow the Lord step by step and day by day,” she says. “Ten years from now, I just want to look back and know that to the best of my ability I have been obedient to God's call on my life.”

[Randy Bishop, “Just Give Me Jesus,” Christian Reader (September / October 2000), p. 25; via Perfect Illustrations, ibid. p. 62]

God has sent the church into the world to check it out, and her witnesses [Heb 12:1] have returned with their report on the enemy's strength and capability.

Where are you in this? In the 17% solution (1 in 6) or in the 83% problem (5 in 6)?

Christianity, Homiletics, Numbers,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons