JEREMIAH 18:1-6 - Flawed vessels!

TOPIC: Sovereignty; Mercy, Rebirth

TITLE: FLAWED VESSELS - Once Marred, Now Remade!
TEXT: Jeremiah 18:1-6 [NKJV]

The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying: "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words."

Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?" says the LORD. "Look, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!"

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What Forces are Powerful Enough to Interfere with God’s Molding of Us?
CONCISE OUTLINE

I. UNWORKABLE CLAY CANNOT BE MOLDED!
II. UNUSABLE CLAY CANNOT BE MOLDED!
III. UNSEALED CLAY CANNOT BE MOLDED!

TRUTH CLAIM/CONTEXT: God has become fed up with Israel, so He calls upon Jeremiah [aka: the weeping prophet]. The Lord was intent on demonstrating to Israel that He had had enough of their adultery and fornication with the pagan gods of their heathen neighbors. He was especially upset with their lack of obedience to the Law.

Through Jeremiah, God ...

1. declares His sovereignty over all created things, as well as
   
2. His willingness to remake any of it that needs it [but only as it pleases and glorifies Him].

We are all marred/flawed vessels [Romans 6:23], destined for destruction and, except for God's mercy and grace, deserving of such treatment.

In Romans 9, in the context of a) Abraham's sons versus the promise to Sarah's seed [vv.6-9] and b) hating Esau versus loving Jacob [vv.10-13], Paul explains to Roman believers that God consults no one concerning His will concerning anything. What makes no sense to the mind of carnal man makes complete sense if spiritually discerned.

So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires. You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?" On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use?

What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction? And He did so in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared be-forehand for glory, even us, whom He also called, not from among Jews only, but also from among Gentiles.

Romans 9:18-24

Here Paul …

1. reveals that God divides His subjects into those destined for …

a. honorable use versus common use or
b. vessels of mercy versus vessels wrath …

2. and explains that God

a. endures the sinful arrogance of the lost (i.e., "vessels of wrath"; v.22) in order to
b. "make known the riches of His glory upon [the saved]" (i.e., “vessels of mercy”; v.23).

Again, the Spirit uses the metaphor of the Potter. Later [in Ephesians 8], Paul writes to believers concerning …

1. the doctrine of the True Church and
2. the purpose [or the walk] of the True Believer.

Though not mentioning the parable of the Potter, he alludes to it indirectly.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10

In this passage Paul …

1. reiterates God's sovereign power to have mercy upon whom He wills;
2. states that our receipt of this mercy is not by our own effort, but is a “gift of God”; and
3. reveals God’s establishment of righteousness works for “vessels of mercy” before being made a new creature [2 Corinthians 5:17].

This leaves a question: if God “endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction," then how much more will He endure those "vessels of mercy ... prepared beforehand for glory?” [Romans 9:22, 23 NKJV]

If, therefore, Jesus died that man might once again find himself on the Potter's wheel and find the Potter willing to show him mercy and remake him, then why, pray tell, does he continue to harden himself to the will of his Creator?

I ask you: what force is powerful enough to interfere with God’s effort to vessels destined for wrath into vessels of mercy?

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What Forces are Powerful Enough to Interfere with God’s Molding of Us?
EXPANDED OUTLINE

I. UNWORKABLE CLAY CANNOT BE MOLDED!

That is, clay which has been allowed to dry out or harden. Everywhere in the New Testament, we are reminded of the role of water in the life of the saint.

Jesus answered [the woman at the well] and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."

John 4:10; NKJV

"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

John 7:38

… that He might sanctify and cleanse [His Church] with the washing of water by the word …

Ephesians 5:26

"Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion [in the wilderness]."

Hebrews 3:15

II. UNUSABLE CLAY CANNOT BE MOLDED!

That is, material that is full of lumps, sand, grass, sticks, etc.

… if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.

1 Corinthians 3:12-13

Can’t you see these vessels of impurity being unusable?

III. UNSEALED CLAY CANNOT BE MOLDED!

That is, vessels unprepared for firing!

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Ephesians 1:13-14

I don’t claim that this text speaks to the firing of clay but believers are sealed and clay is sealed and the analogy works.

APPLICATION: God wants to do with your life just what the Potter does with the clay … remake you, repair your flaws, fill you to overflowing, and use you in His service.

Some of you are, at this time, remain flawed vessels of wrath; others of you are mended vessels of mercy.

Some who are destined for destruction will, by the Grace of God and the skin of their teeth, come to their senses and deal with their condition in time for the Potter to remake them; some won't!

Some of you who are vessels of mercy, destined to do the good works in Christ Jesus, which God created for you beforehand, are busy doing them and loving every minute of it!

Others are so afraid the Potter might require something that they’ve avoided the hands of the Potter! Oh, they’ve built their house on the Rock but they’ve built it of “wood, hay, and stubble.”

These are no longer vessels of wrath but have not yet become vessels of honor … the Bible refers to these as carnal or nominal Christians!

CHALLENGE: Now, let me talk to the vessels of wrath. You are playing fast and loose with the things of God and are in danger of falling into the abyss! Listen, won’t you, to the Apostle John as he tells us how to be certain of eternal life.

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world; our faith. …. If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son.

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:4, 9-13a

You all know what you must do and why … let him with hears hear the word of God, let him with eyes see the Son high and lifted up!

Christianity, Expository, Grace, Homiletics,
Jeremiah, Mercy, Outlines, Preaching,
Regeneration, Sermons, Sovereignty

1 CHRONICLES: 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 ...

9:33

DAY AND NIGHT – Don't Stop Singing!

1 Chronicles, Homiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Sermons, Worship

PSALMS: 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 ...

50:7

I AM YOUR GOD - God's all sufficient essence!

100:4 (1-5)

NEW EACH DAY - How to avoid making Jesus trivial!

CrossLinked: Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Proclaimed Series (November 5 "Evening")

104:16

HEIRS OF HEAVEN - The Mysterious Hand of God!

CrossLinked: Spurgeon's Morning & Evening Proclaimed Series (August 13 "Morning")

Expository, Homiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Psalms, Sermons

MATTHEW - Full Sermons

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

8:5-13

OH YOU OF LITTLE FAITH - What must God do to convince?

16:23-24 [21-28]

DENY THYSELF - Focus on the Object of Your Faith for a Straight Walk!

25:1-13

COME HOLY SPIRIT - Stone "1" On Our Weekly Spiritual Pathway!

25:46 [31-46]

A HELL OF A NOTE - The Bad News According to Jesus!

Homiletics, Matthew,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

1 CORINTHIANS 1:17 How to make the Cross meaningless!

TOPIC: Easter (series); Cross, Gospel, Word, Works
TITLE: How has God sent us?

For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What did and did not the Lord send Paul to do?

TRUTH/CONTEXT: Easter is a time to remind ourselves that what matters is Christ … not us. In the passage before us, Paul is speaking to the Corinthians about the Christian focus because he knows he is about to confront them concerning their individual and corporate behavior.

Paul chooses his words carefully in order not to take away from his ministry to them but he wastes no time getting to the Cross (before the first chapter ends).

Consider that Paul says, "Christ did not send me to" (do certain things) ... implying the Lord did send him to do other things. What things?

First let's be clear about what he wasn't to do and then look at what he was to do!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What did and did not the Lord send Paul to do?
EXPANDED OUTLINE:

I. HE DIDN’T SEND PAUL TO DRAW ATTENTION TO PAUL!

A. He didn't send him to do righteous works ... "Christ did not send me to baptize"
B. He didn't send him to proclaim spiritual truths with clever words/speech ... "not in cleverness of speech"
C. Such things make "void" (i.e., make meaningless) the cross of Christ

II. HE SENT PAUL TO DRAW ATTENTION TO HIS WORDS, AND HIS CROSS!

A. He did send him that Jesus’ works would be full of meaning (ant. "void") …

[WOUNDED] I'm told that during World War I the Prince of Wales (I believe Edward who later abdicated his throne) visited 36 severely wounded men in a London hospital. The Prince shook hands with the men. As preparations were made to leave, the Prince indicated he’d only seen 30 men. "Where are the other six?"

Although he was informed the others were severe cases, he insisted he see the others. The others were soon seen. "But there are only five, where's the last?" asked the Prince. Although the Prince was told that the grotesqueness of the man's appearance would be unbearable, the Prince insisted on seeing him. They took him to the man's bedside.

The Prince stood silent for a long moment, then moved to the man and stooped to kiss him! With emotion breaking in his voice, the Prince of Wales was heard to say, Wounded for me. Wounded for me."

"Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD [i.e., power] been revealed? For He grew up before [the Father] like a tender shoot, And like a root out of parched ground; He has no stately form or majesty That we should look upon Him, Nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed." [Isaiah 53:1-5].

B. And not made void [without meaning]!
C. That Jesus' words would be heard

1. Though foolishness to some ...
For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, [1 Corinthians 1:18a]
2. It is powerful to others ... but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. [1 Corinthians 1:18b]

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: We now know that both the cross and the Good News are "the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes" [Romans 1:16].

And we know it is totally unrelated to man's works of righteousness ...

But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished. [Galatians 5:11]

For ...

Those who desire to make a good showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised, simply so that they will not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. (i.e., embarrassed) [Galatians 6:12]

So if we want to look good, then we must imitate Paul ...

But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.* [Galatians 6:14-15]

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. [2 Corinthians 5:17]

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. [Col. 2:13-14]

We have the very bad habit of getting in the way of this Good News … talking about what we think and what we know and how we interpret and understand it and what we're doing or what we've done! All of this is fine but not what Christ sent us to do.

[VICTOR] A Commander-In-Chief may defeat all his enemies on the battlefield yet be unable to defeat his critics at home [Lincoln, Grant, Wilson, FDR, and Dubya].

He may be able to control the men under him and yet be unable to control himself [Jefferson, Kennedy, and Clinton]. He may be a victorious leader in the estimation of men, yet defeated in the estimation of God [numerous recent Christian leaders].

And he may congratulate himself that no one has been able to stand up against him, yet he will go down at last before man's final enemy, death [Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Min, Castro, etc,].

Thus, all men's victories are partial in this life. Even the victory over sin and evil that the regenerated believer has in Christ is at best incomplete. Only one Man has ever conquered sin and death completely and defeated all His enemies.

And faith in Him is the victory. 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." [Matthew 28:18-20]

Our works and our words are offered within His authority and He has "all authority." Where do we hear Jesus saying, "Go therefore and cleverly trick them into buying what you’re selling nor are we to impress them with fancy footwork. We are to simply "go", "make", "baptize", and "teach" without worry or fear.

And as I reminded you last week, "Jesus said to them again, 'Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, so send I you.'" [John 20:21]

Understand, if we do what Paul says not to do, but rather do what we want to do or what seems right to us in our own eyes, we make the Cross of Christ and the Good News meaningless or void ... the opposite of meaningless is meaningful or full of meaning; that is what Paul is telling the Corinthians and you and I today ... that's what we’re to be doing.

This message is not about you or me ... it’s about Him, the One who was on the Cross but no longer, the One who was in the grave but no longer, the One who was in the clutches of death and hell but could not be kept, the One who was in the flesh but is no longer, and in this world but not of this world. How would you like to leave church today knowing that you have been making and will continue to make the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the Good news meaningless? You can.

"Wounded for Me, O glory to God, wounded for me!"

1 Corinthians, Cross, Easter, Expository, Homiletics,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

PSALMS - Seed Archive

Psalm 1:2

TOPIC: Blessings

TITLE: THE SECRET THAT IS NO SECRET

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What must we do to be blessed by God?

I. Delight in His Word! (His delight is in the law of the Lord)
II. Meditate in His Word! (in the law of the Lord he meditates)
III. Abide in His Word! (day and night)

Psalm 1:3*

TOPIC: Blessings, Grace, Mercy
TITLE: SEVEN BLESSINGS OF THE GODLY MAN

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What characterizes a blessed [Godly] man?

I. Vitality! (“a tree”) [life, vigorous – “capacity to live”]
II. Security! (“firmly planted”) [safety, defense, free of risk, confident]
III. Capacity! (“by canals of water”) [potential, capability – “ability to receive”]
IV. Fertility! (“which yields its fruit”) [virility, productivity (better)]
V. Propriety! (“in its season”) [appropriateness, suitability – quality of being proper]
VI. Perpetuity! (“its foliage does not wither”) [continuity, constancy, durability, endurance – time without a defined end]
VII. Prosperity! (“all that he does prospers”) [affluence, well-being]

[*From W. Graham Scroggie’s volume THE PSALMS, Pickering & Inglis Ltd. London, 1965, p. 49]

Psalm 2:1-12

TOPIC: Protection, Provision

TITLE: THE ULTIMATE REFUGE

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What progression of prophetic events has God provided for man’s benefit?

I. MAN'S INSURRECTION! (1-3)
II. DIVINE INDIGNATION! (4-6)

A. God’s contempt [v. 4 – laughs, scoffs]
B. God’s wrath [v. 5 – His anger, fury]
C. God’s revelation [v. 6 – but … I have …]

III. MARVELOUS DECLARATION! (7-9)

A. Relationship [v. 7 – My Son]

1. Headship [v. 8 – nations, earth … as Thy possession]
2. Lordship [v. 9 – rule them, scepter or staff, shatter them]

IV. DIVINE ADMONITION! (10-12)

A. Words of warning! [v. 10 – show and take]
B. Worship and fear! [v. 11 – worship/serve, reverence/fear, rejoice/tremble]
C. Choose … [v. 12]

1. Love or Perish! [homage/kiss or]
2. Wrath of Refuge! [perish/wrath]

[Adapted from W. Graham Scroggie’s volume THE PSALMS, Pickering & Inglis Ltd. London, 1965, pp. 53, 54]

Psalm 6:1-10

TOPIC: Prayer

TITLE: TRIUMPH OVER TROUBLE – A prayer
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we pray when things get rough?

I. The appeal in time of trouble! (1-5)
II. The agony in time of torment! (6-7)
III. The anticipation of time of triumph! (8-10)

Psalm 6:11

TOPIC: Calamity, Faith, Security, Wicked & Righteous, Traditions, Trials

TITLE: THE LORD IS OUR REFUGE!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?

I. Know that God is above it all! (v.4)
II. Know that God discerns the difference between ... (v.5)

A. The righteous!
B. The wicked!

III. Know that God is faithful to ...

A. Punish the wicked! (v.6)
B. Smile on the righteous! (v.7)

Psalm 11:1-7

TOPIC: God's foundations

TITLE: THE SIX FOUNDATIONS OF GOD
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What happens if the foundations are destroyed?

I. Our God Reigns From Heaven (4)
II. Our God Governs the World (4)
III. Our God Knows the Real Man (4)
IV. Our God Tests All Men (5)
V. Our God Wins the War (6)
VI. Our God Awaits Our Homecoming (7)

Psalm 12:4

Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"

TOPIC: Wicked men; arrogance, lordship, sovereignty]
TITLE: TO ERR IS HUMAN!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are the most common and arrogant errors of the wicked?

I. That man himself determines life's outcomes! (4a)
II. That man himself controls his words! (4b)
III. That man himself serves only himself! (4c)

Psalm 17

TOPIC: Prayer (in times of oppression); oppression, petitions, supplications

TITLE: IN THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three requests may we make to God in times of oppression?

[Notice the three inferior petitions in each of David's requests, each of these might be brought as a message by themselves.]

I. Judge me, O Lord! [1-2]

A. Listen to me, Lord! (1)
B. Tell it like it is, Lord! (2a)
C. Be just, Lord! (2b)

II. Protect me, O Lord! [7-9]

A. Show me lovingkindness, Lord! (7)
B. Keeep me special, Lord! (8a)
C. Hide me in Your presence, Lord! (8b-9)

III. Avenge me, O Lord! [13]

A. Get up and confront in indignation, Lord!
B. Humble my enemies, Lord!
C. Deliver my soul (a.k.a. "life"), Lord!

Psalm 27

TOPIC: Provision (of God)

TITLE: WAIT ON THE LORD - He hasn't forgotten you or your needs!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What four things does David tell us are needed for a right relationship with our God?

I. His Grace Is Always Needed! [v.7]
II. His Presence Is Always Needed! [v. 9]
III. His Instruction Is Always Needed! [v. 11]

Application/Challenge: I said there were four things David told us we needed to have but only listed three ... so what is the fourth? Verses 13 & 14 tell us Our Patience Is Always Needed!

Psalm 27:1

TOPIC: Fearlessness; faith

TITLE: The Lord Is My Everything!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What should God be to you?

I. He should be the illumination of your life!
II. He should be the deliverance of your life!
III. He should be the defense of your life!

Application/Challenge: If indeed He is all of these things ... who or what should you fear?

Psalm 27:4

TOPIC: Hope

TITLE: What Would You Ask of the Lord if You Could?
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three Kingdom things from the Lord did David consider top priority?

I. To Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever!
II. To Behold the Beauty of the Lord Forever!
III. To Inquire In the Temple of the Lord Forever!

Psalm 27:13-14

TOPIC: Despair

TITLE: An Anecdote for Despair!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How does David suggest we respond to despair?

I. David tells us to "Wait for the Lord"!
II. David Tells Us to "Be Strong"!
III. David Tells to "Take Courage"!

Psalm 50:7

TOPIC: God; Judgment, Justice, Nature, Sufficiency

TITLE: I AM YOUR GOD – God’s All Sufficient Essence
TEXT: Psalms 50:7

“Hear, O My people, and I will speak … I am God, your God.”

CONTEXT: The author is Asaph, a Levite; the patriarch of a bloodline of poets and singers ... also Psalms 73-83.

Psalm 50 is where we get “God owns … … the cattle on a thousand hills.” [10b]

Asaph was a leader in King David’s choir.

Here is judgment coming, judgment explained, judgment promised; here legalistic hypocrites are revealed ... they dot the “I” and cross the “t” of religion, yet they fail to see who God really is.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three attitudes (expectations) interfere with God’s amazing grace?

I. THE EXPECTATION OF COMPLETE SANCTIFICATION
II. THE EXPECTATION OF IMMEDIATE SATISFACTION
III. THE EXPECTATION OF ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: So you want to rob the bank and keep the money when you are caught? Your satisfaction in life is all that matters to you … and you want it now! Simple satisfaction is not enough; you had that long ago.

And you will believe in God for sure … if He will just make an appointment with you at a convenient time … that’ll do it.

Asaph pleads on behalf of God, that disobedient men repent of their ritualistic religion and return to true worship … surrendering to God with a broken and contrite spirit.

Psalm 52

TOPIC: Fear (of God), Trust (in God)

TITLE: HOW TO DEAL WITH ENEMIES!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What should we do when others speak badly of us?

I. Do Not Speak Well of Their Behavior [vv. 1-5]
II. Do Understand the Difference Between the Righteous and the Wicked [vv. 6-8]
III. Do Tell God You Will Look [v. 9]

A. Behind and Praise Him
B. Forward and Wait on Him

Psalm 57 [Cf. 1 Samuel 22 or 1 Samuel 24]

TOPIC: Tribulation

TITLE: HOPE & TRUST IN GOD

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Without tribulations in life and attacks from enemies, what kinds of victories would we have in life and would we still feel a need for a Savior?

I. FAITH IN A COMING SAVIOR [Vv. 1-5]

1. David seeking grace.

2. An earnest plea "to God the Most High" (Elohim elyon ... a powerful and exalted name of God. The literal translation is "to God who performs for me").

3. The coming Messiah.
4. Words are powerful weapons.
5. Praise to God most high; repeated in verse 11.

II. FAITH IN A COMING JUSTICE [Vv. 6-11]

6. The trapper becomes the quarry.
7. A profession of faith in song.
8. A noisy profession.
9. And publicly.
10. God's attributes.
11. Praise to God most high; verse five repeated.

Scroggie said - " his fear of the one is more than counteracted by his faith in the Other." [p.42]

Psalm 64 (cp. James 3)

A Psalm of prayer by David. I think it's marvelous the way David put his prayers to music.

TOPIC: Prayer

TITLE: CONFIDENCE IN GOD TRUMPS COMPLAINTS ABOUT OTHERS
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we deal with the tribulations of life?

I. MAKE CLEAR YOUR COMPLAINT [1-6]

A. David Describes Sinners Generally [1, 2]

1. The king wants to heard by the King of kings, he wants his complaint to have be considered. His request? He asks God to "preserve" his life from "the dread of" not from a dreaded enemy.

2. As we've seen David's life is constantly pestered by "evildoers" and "those who do iniquity." It's not that he wants God to stop their "secret counsel" but rather that he wants their fruit ("the tumult") to fall of him. In other words, his complaint is that it takes up too much of his time.

B. David Describes Sinners Specifically

3. Tongue, bitter speech: "like a sword," like an "arrow." What imagery.
4. The don't fear God and the strike the blameless "from" a hidden place and by surprise ("suddenly").
5. They conspire to do their evil; they hide traps in the innocents' path.
6. Their hearts are wicked and they devise "a well-conceived plot."

II. MAKE FIRM YOUR CONFIDENCE [7-10]

A. God is the Source of Confidence: Trust Him [7, 8]

7. But God has arrows of His own, and a blade too! And He can strike "suddenly" as well.
8. I think this should say "So He will make them stumble." Their sword, their tongue will strike them ... people will be amazed. Scroggie: "So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves."

B. God is the Source of Justice: Fear Him [9,10]

9. Because David has confidence that God is just and Protector of the innocent. Men will fear ... "all" of them. Men will proclaim God's great deeds in protecting the "blameless" and men will study them.
10. By faith "the righteous" and "the upright" live "in the LORD." AMEN.

It is a better thing to be slandered than to be one who slanders; it is a better thing to be an evil sufferer than to be an evildoer.

Psalm 95

TOPIC: Worship

TITLE: O COME! LET US CELEBRATE!*
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we come to worship?

I. O Come! We Come In Joy! [1-5]
II. O Come! We Come In Reverence! [6-7c]
III. O Come! We Come In Faith! [7d]
IV. O Come! And So Let Us Come! [John 4:23, 24]

[By Dr. Ronald Barcley Allen, Western Conservative Seminary (Portland, OR) 1981]

Psalm 126 (Cf. Matthew 5:1-12)

TOPIC: Encouragement, Evangelism, Prophetic Promise

TITLE: MOUTHS FILLED WITH LAUGHTER
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is the conclusion of the captives’ song? [2]

I. They Will Be Sowing In Tears! [5a]
II. They Will Be Reaping In Joy! [5b]
III. They Will Be Bringing In Sheaves! [6]

Holiletics, Outlines,
Preaching, Psalms, Sermons

JONAH - Seed Archive

Jonah 1:1 ff

TOPIC: Missions

TITLE: While Nineveh Goes to Hell!

I. Jonah's Success

Riding the crest of popularity; a successful prophet. [2 Kings 14:25]

II. Jonah's Call [1:1-2]
III. Jonah's Flight [1:3-2:10]
IV. Jonah's Message [3:1-4]

Short & sweet -- Forty days and Nineveh will be destroyed.

V. Jonah's Surprise [3:5-10]

The heathen repented and were spared; they weren't even part of chosen people.

VI. Jonah's Displeasure [4:1-4]

First time thus saith the Lord not literally fulfilled.

VII. Jonah's Lesson [4:5-11]

God is concerned about all people groups; it is not His will that any should perish [2 Peter 3:9].

[MISSIONS] If a child comes home and tells mom & dad the boss is sending junior to South America as part of a multi-million dollar oil exploration the folks say, "Wow! Great! You've made it son. We can't wait to call the family and the friends to tell them."

But if he comes home and tells them that God has called him to the mission field in South America to rescue the perishing, they say, "What? Are you sure? Are there any benefits? Is it safe? You don't even speak the language."

SOURCE: Bill Blanchard, Commission Magazine, May 1997 p. 280 (a publication of the International Missions Board of the Southern Baptist Convention).

Homiletics, Jonah, Outlines,
Preaching, Sermons

EXODUS - Seed Archive

Exodus 3:10 [Matthew 28:19-20]

TOPIC: Calling; missions
TITLE: EVERY MAN A MOSES: Called To Bring God’s People Out!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How is the call to Moses similar to the Great Commission's call to the saint of today?

I. In that both call us to God!
II. In that both send us out from God!
III. In both we bring the enslaved to God!

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: The world, like Israel, is in bondage. Each of us has been called to come to God, that He might send us out, that we might bring them out.

Every non-believer in the world today has his own Egypt, his own Pharaoh, and his own savior … what they lack is a Moses. For centuries priests stood between man and their God, now our apathy does!

18:18

TOPIC: Leadership; Organization, Planning

TITLE: REPRESENTATIVE AND REPRESENTED - How and why God wants us organized!
TEXT: EXODUS 18:18

“Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself."

TRUTH CLAIM: If left untaught and undiscussed, the people will let their leaders do all the work on their own.

Everywhere in Scripture we see the Lord encouraging and endorsing organization. Not to elevate one individual over another, but rather to show His people how to work together with one mind toward one goal, to show the leaders how they ought to organize the people for the work!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three questions help us understand God's organizational plan?
CONCISE OUTLINE:

I. HOW HE WANTS US ORGANIZED?
II. WHY HE WANTS US ORGANIZED?
III. WHAT HE EXPECTS OF THE ORGANIZATION?

APPLICATION: Moses was so close to the trees, he couldn't see the forest; it took someone from outside to present better way to him. To Moses' credit he saw clearly the wisdom of his father-in-law's suggestion.

God has only one way to organize, yet he allows many variations of His way. It's not so important who has what method, rather it's whether we

1. operate within the context of God's way
2. work toward God's goal, and
3. cooperate with one another to accomplish it

Our church has no exemption from God's plan; if we expect to be a part of achieving His objective, we must organize and cooperate His way!

CHALLENGE: We must challenge ourselves to remember it is not our work or our goal, but God's work and God's goal. If He prefers one way over another, we must organize His way and cooperate in His work!

Look around the church today and try to understand that we are following a biblical model. Try to learn how it operates, then find a way to get involved ... with a cooperative attitude.

19-20:1-2, 18-26

TOPIC: Priesthood; Types (OT)

TITLE: A SPECIAL TREASURE - A Kingdom of Priests and a Holy Nation!
TRUTH: The words of our title equally apply to the Church in 1 Peter 2:9. So the promises given to Israel are also given to the Church, "if [we] will indeed obey [His] voice and keep [His] covenant" [v.5].

It would do us well to make note of the similarities and differences between the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant in Christ's blood.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How does Israel before God at Mt. Sinai compare to the Church before God today?
CONCISE OUTLINE

I. WE BOTH -

A. MUST COME BEFORE HIM!
B. MUST BE PREPARED TO COME!
C. CAN EXPECT TO HEAR HIS VOICE!
D. MUST OBEY HIS VOICE!
E. MUST KEEP HIS COVENANT!

II. BUT THE CHURCH -

A. NEEDS NO HUMAN INTERCESSOR!
B. HAS ONLY ONE LAW - THE ROYAL LAW!
C. MAY COME BOLDLY INTO HIS PRESENCE!

APPLICATION: O what joy floods my soul; O what freedom I enjoy! The Lord, while I was yet a sinner, died for me! I'm not just free, but free indeed!

In other words, it's impossible to keep the law: "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." [James 2:10]

In fact, it was never God's intent that the law be kept: "The law was our tuto, to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith." [Galatians 3:24]

It was always God's plan to redeem the world through His Son: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" [John 1:29]

CHALLENGE: There are five or six covenants in the Old Testament. The believer, who truly appreciates what the Lord has done, will endeavor to understand the purpose of these covenants relative to the New Covenant in Christ's blood. The reason?

Most of what we know as New Testament light has reflected off those covenants. You'll be surprised when your eyes are opened to this truth.

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

GENESIS - Seed Archive

Gen 1:1 [Cp. John 1:1]

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

TOPIC: Nature of God
TITLE: The Creation - What Is It All About?

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What does the creation say about God?

I. It Says God Is Mighty! (He is Omnipotent)
II. It Says God Is Loving! (He loves us)
III. It Says God Is Worthy! (He is worthy of worship)

Gen 3:7

"Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin (or girdles) coverings."

TOPIC: Sin [Obedience]
TITLE: THE GREAT FALL - How our evil eye was opened!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What was the progression in this eye opening event?

I. The Commission of Sin!
II. The Consciousness of Sin!
III. The Confrontation of Sin!

Gen 4:1-16

Topic: Unrighteousness vs. faithfulness
Title: THE FIRST UN!

[UNRIGHTEOUSNESS] In the late '70s and early '80s, Seven-Up Bottling Company promoted their product with an amusing advertising campaign around the word UnCola ... its intent was to position itself against more well known colas.

Foundational Inquiry: Why was Able favored over Cain?

I. Because Cain was unfaithful!
II. Because Cain was unrepentant!
III. Because Cain was undone!
IV. Because Cain was unsaved!

Gen 7:17

"Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water increased

and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth."

Topic: Last Days [Days of Noah]
Title: THE DAY THE RAINS CAME DOWN!

Foundational Inquiry: What is the significance of God's choice of the flood and the Ark?

I. They Point to A Similar Day! [Genesis 6:5-7 vs. Luke 17:26-27]

II. They Point to A Similar Judgment! [Genesis 7:23 vs. 2 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10a]

III. They Point to A Similar Escape! [Heb. 11:7 vs. Ephesians 2:8; John 10:9; 14:6]

IV. They Point to A Similar Redeemer!

Gen 8:20-9:17

Topic: Noahic Covenant

Title: THE RAINBOW COVENANT

TRUTH CLAIM: Man, created in the image of God, has shown throughout time that he is incapable of being trusted. God again and again has come to our rescue and time and time again we have frustrated Him! Shame on us!

Foundational Inquiry: What does the Noahic Covenant mean to contemporary man?

I. That we should continually sacrifice!

II. That we should never forget!

III. That it's fire next time!

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: In spite of the fact that God regretted He made man, in spite of the fact that He had every right to wipe man from the face of the earth, He offers a reprieve, an opportunity to start over ... sealing it with a beautiful and timeless sign, the rainbow.

Man is passive in this transaction; God provides all, man contributes nothing. Take this moment and consider how we ought to respond to God's reprieve, the foregoing of final judgment until the fullness of times. Certainly we should not be responding the way we have!

Gen 28:8-9 [Cp. 26:34-35; 27:46; 36:1-6]

Topic: Sin; Anger, Flesh, Pride, Rebellion, Spirit, Vengeance

Title: DIGGING OUR OWN GRAVE!

Foundational Inquiry: What three sins of pride does Esau exhibit in his choice of wives?

I. The Sin of Rebellion!

II. The Sin of Anger!

III. The Sin of Vengeance!

Genesis, Homiletics, Preaching, Sermons

JOB 14:14 - Between Heaven & Earth!

TOPIC: Coping; despair, endurance, light, patience, perseverance, purity, suffering, submission, trials
TITLE: BETWEEN HEAVEN & EARTH – Four Reasons for Our Sojourn!

TEXT:

If a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my struggle I will wait,
Until my change comes.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is the purpose for our protracted stay?

TRUTH CLAIM/CONTEXT: Job may be the oldest book in the Bible. Chronologically, Job probably lived closer to the flood and creation than Moses (who wrote the first five books of the Old Testament); which means his understanding of God was at least as good as Moses, if not better!

The book has sweeping application ... we all reap heartache and toil in this life, thus a universal need exists among men. It's a reminder:

1. of man's inability to cope with suffering alone,
2. of man's inadequacy to earn approval through effort,
3. of man's impaired understanding of the things of God, as-well-as a reminder that ...
4. man's pride widens the gulf between himself and his God.

Man's word increases despair in the midst of need, God's word is a timely answer for every need; man’s word increases darkness, God's word is light.

Job's friends embody the widely accepted notion that struggle indicates something is wrong with the person or their life!

God answers the need of Job's heart, spreading light in the midst of his suffering.

Redeemed man is caught ...

• somewhere between heaven and earth,
• somewhere between the temporal and the eternal,
• somewhere between the natural and the supernatural

... still in this world but not of it ... and so the redeemed of God live by and on His grace, longing for certainty concerning an after-life. [cf. Philippians 1:21]

Man fears death because of uncertain future. When we cut down a tree, it may sprout again. When we're cut down, will we sprout again? If so, why doesn't God take us home at the time of our rebirth?

Job makes two points in v. 14: first, the promise of resurrection (he says: 'until my change comes,' in answer to his own question 'will he live again'); second, the purpose for our hiatus here ('all the days of my struggle / will wait').

Let's address the latter ...

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is the purpose for our protracted stay?

I. OUR STAY MAKES HEAVEN MORE HEAVENLY!

A. Nothing makes a time of rest as sweet as healthy toil
B. Nothing makes safety as desirable as exposure to threat
C. The polluted streams here only sweeten the promised nectar of glory
D. Our pock-marked paths pale in the radiance of heaven's golden highways and
E. Our battered armor only renders more wonderful the victory to come, when we are welcomed into the congregation of overcomers.

[GOLD] Purity comes with time and toil. The higher the quality of gold, the more
trying has been its journey. In the jewelry industry, worth is based on purity.

II. OUR STAY ALLOWS US TO EXPERIENCE FULL FELLOWSHIP WITH CHRIST!

Fellowship with Christ is so desirable the worst sorrow is a small price for procuring it. Our fellowship with Jesus would not be full or complete fellowship if we were not to tarry awhile.

He was baptized with a baptism of suffering among men (He bore our stripes); thus, we likewise must be baptized with tribulation, if we would share a sense of His kingdom. [cf. Philippians 1:29]

III. OUR STAY IS FOR THE GOOD OF OTHERS!

Why would we want to enter heaven before our work is finished? It may be we're yet commissioned to bear the gospel-light to one who yet cowers in the midnight of their own wilderness.

IV. OUR STAY IS ALSO FOR GOD'S GLORY!

Paul said we are God's workmanship, in which, by our trials in service, He will be glorified ... that we hold out against the testing of our faith with joy is His glory.

[SPURGEON] "A tried saint, like a well-cut diamond, glitters much in the King's
crown." Nothing honors a man as much as the testing of his work. [cf. James
1]

I believe it is the Westminster Catechism which says, "The chief end of man is to glorify God."

APPLICATION/CHALLENGE: Each man must surrender his concerns to the glory of Jesus, and proclaim, "if lying in the dust of this age elevates my Lord by so much as a micron, let me remain choking and prostrate until the end." Or, "if living on earth forever would procure more glory for Him, then let it be my heaven to be excluded from heaven." [Charles Haddon Spurgeon, paraphrased]

Expository, Homiletics, Job 14:14,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons, Trials