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

JOEL - Seed Archive

Joel 1:1 ff (Preaching the whole book of Joel)

TOPIC: Adversity

TITLE: Adversity - How It May Be Seen As A Friend!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How may we learn from adversity?

Through personal, corporate, or national adversity we receive three lessons:

I. We learn of the person of God!
II. We learn of the provision of God!
III. We learn of the power of God!

Fasting, Homiletics, Joel, Outlines,
Preaching, Sermons, Solemn Assembly

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

ZEPHANIAH - Seed Archive

Zephaniah 3:2

TOPIC: Apostasy (national)

TITLE: Believers! Examine Thyself - A four-fold indictment of national apostasy!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is it about national apostasy that bothers God?

There are four things about national apostasy that God hates …

I. A people without hearing!
II. A people without knowledge/discernment!
III. A people without foundation!
IV. A people without reverence!

Homiletics, Outlines, Preaching,
Sermons, Zephaniah

HEBREWS - Seed Archive

4:14 -- 5:10

TOPIC: Eternal Life, Easter

TITLE: OUR HIGH PRIEST - The Source of Eternal Life!

The Hebrews were as familiar with the duties of the High Priest as modern Americans are with the duties of the President of the United States.

Their daily lives were permeated with priests, altars, and sacrifices; the writer of this epistle reminds them God has provided them a perfect High Priest and a Perfect Sacrifice for the heavenly temple ... the Lamb of God.

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Why do we need such a High Priest?

Because we need an Intercessor ...

I. Who Is Appointed By God!
II. Who Is in the Presence of God!
III. Who Is God!

The Hebrews had the shadow of the good things to come ... we have found the reality and that reality is in Jesus ... we have found the evidence of His atoning work written in blood on the altar of God's Word.

God would encourage us to persevere in the face of obstacles. We have a forerunner who is our hope, and anchor of our soul, both sure and steadfast.

12:25

See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.

TOPIC: Salvation; hearers, judgment, last days, warnings

TITLE: LAST DAYS WARNING - Salvation Message
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three types of listeners are seen here?

I. STUBBORN LISTENERS! (they refuse to listen)
II. UNHEEDING LISTENERS! (they do not heed the warning)

A. Earthly - did not escape him! (Moses)
B. Heavenly - will not escape Him! (God)

III. WARNED LISTENERS! (they heed the warning)

Hebrews, Homiletics,
Outlines, Preaching, Sermons

REVELATION - Seed Archive

1:8

"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

TOPIC: Christ; Inexhaustibility, Nature, Ominipotence, Omniscience, Sufficiency, Word

TITLE: THE I AM IS - His sufficiency also is!

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: In what ways does our text tell us He is more than we need?

OUTLINE:

I. IN THAT HE IS THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA!

A. He is the whole alphabet ... (cp. John 1:1-2, 14)

1. Every spoken word!
2. Every heard word!
3. Every written word!
4. Every read word!

B. He is the inexhaustible sum total of all knowledge!

II. IN THAT HE IS, WAS, AND IS YET TO BE!

A. Today, yesterday, and tomorrow!

B. Our present (Church Age), our past (OT witness), and our future (prophetic hope)!

III. IN THAT HE IS ALL POWERFUL!

A. Able to accomplish that which He says!

B. Without equal (don't argue the co-equality of the Trinune Godhead here)!

C. Unconquerable!
D. Sufficient for all our needs, ever!

21:9

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

TOPIC: Bride, Marriage Supper* (of the Lamb), New Jerusalem [Spurgeon Morning & Evening, July 22 AM]

TITLE: THE WIFE OF THE LAMB – How Jesus went to great lengths to find an acceptable bride! (revised 31 May 2006)

FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What did the Lord do to find the bride of His own choosing?

I. JESUS SOUGHT HER!

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:10

II. JESUS BOUGHT HER!

Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her ...

Ephesians 5:25b

III. JESUS CAUGHT HER!

Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.

Revelation 19:7

IV. JESUS GOT HER!

And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:2

Expository, Outlines, Preaching,
Revelation, Sermons