Pastor's Sermon Outline

September 7, 2003

“JESUS: THE VICTOR” 

SCRIPTURE READING: PSALM 45

SCRIPTURE TEXT: REVELATION 17:14

    These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

INTRO:  We are at war with a powerful enemy.

   Many Christians fail to recognize that this war is waging.

LUKE 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

   Satan is out to attack every Christian and turn them from following Jesus.

1 PETER 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

   We cannot seek to defeat the enemy of our soul with our own strength.

JEREMIAH 17:5-8 Thus saith the Lord; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the Lord.  For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good cometh; but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, in a salt land and not inhabited.  Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.  For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

NOTE: Jesus has defeated Satan and has provided us the victory.

JOHN 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:24-27a Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.  For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.  The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet…

   In God’s timetable, not ours, the victory has already been won.

JOHN 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

I.  GOD INSTRUCTS US TO ENTER INTO THE BATTLE.

1 TIMOTHY 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

   A.  THERE IS NO ONE WHO IS EXEMPT FROM THIS WAR.

NOTE:  There always seem to be a group who are unwilling to enter into the battle.

ILL:  The old westerns.

v      If we don’t bother them, they won’t bother us.

v      Let someone else do the fighting.

    God calls each of us into battle.

NUMBERS 32:6-7 And Moses said unto the children of Gad and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to war, and shall ye sit here? And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land, which the Lord hath given them?

   B. THERE ARE THOSE WHO WOULD CONTEND THAT WE CAN’T

        WIN SO WHY EVEN TRY.

NUMBERS 13:31-33 But the men that went up with him said, We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we.  And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature.  And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

NOTE: There always seems to be those, even within Christianity that have a defeated attitude.

   C.  IT TAKES TOTAL COMMITMENT TO BE VICTORIOUS.

2 TIMOTHY 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

NOTE: Too often we put our spiritual needs far down the list of our priorities.

 I.  JESUS WON THE VICTORY AT CALVARY SO WE CAN WIN THE VICTORY NOW.

NOTE: Jesus defeated Satan at Calvary by:

v      By making full payment of the penalty of sin by His death

v      By breaking the power of sin by His resurrection

v      By giving us the power of the Holy Ghost by His ascension

JOHN 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

LUKE 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

ACTS 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

    A.  IT IS A SPIRITUAL BATTLE AND MUST BE FOUGHT ON A SPIRITUAL FRONT.

EPHESIANS 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  

NOTE:  If the battle against Satan is spiritual we must have spiritual weapons to fight with.

2 CORINTHIANS 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

   B.  JESUS HAS PROVIDED US WITH THE PROPER EQUIPMENT IN ORDER TO OBTAIN

        THE VICTORY THAT IS OUR THROUGH HIM

NOTE:  We must remember that any victory we win, is only through Him Who is the Victor.

1 SAMUEL 17:45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.  

EPHESIANS 6:10-18 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: paying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

HEBREWS 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

REVELATION 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

CONCLUSION: Throughout our entire Christian life, Satan will seek to attack us, but we have the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 CORINTHIANS 1:10 Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

1 CORINTHIANS 15:57-58 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

September 14, 2003

“JESUS: WATER OF LIFE”

SCRIPTURE READING: JOHN 4:5-15

SCRIPTURE TEXT: REVELATION 22:17

And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

INTRO: Next to air, water is the greatest physical need of man.

   Water produces life.

   Jesus is the Water of Life; there is no spiritual life outside of Him.

   Water is a universal need of man, both physically and spiritually.

    As physical water gives us physical life, so Jesus is the spiritual water that gives us eternal life.

    Whatever God has created, the devil has sought to imitate.

I.  THE WATER THAT DESTROYS AND KILLS.

NOTE:  As there is water that produces life, there is also water that will bring death.

ILL: Those lost at sea in a lifeboat.

   Satan tells us if we drink from his wells we will find satisfaction.

v      Alcohol

v      Drugs

v      Gambling

v      Sex

v      Possessions

v      Wealth

v      Power

v      Religion

    Those who drink from the waters of Satan will never find the satisfaction they are longing for.

JEREMIAH 2:13 For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

JEREMIAH 17:13 O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters.

   The woman at the well sought to find satisfaction from the poison water that Satan offers.

JEREMIAH 18:13-14 Therefore thus saith the Lord; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing.  Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken?

   There are those who are so fearful of taking the imitation they reject the true.

   They have seen the fraud that has crept into Christianity and are afraid to drink of its water.

II.  JESUS IS THE WATER OF LIFE.

NOTE: The difference between the water that Satan gives and the Water that Jesus is, is Life and death.

   A.  HE IS THE WATER THAT SATISFIES.

JOHN 4:13-14 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

ISAIAH 49:10 They shall not hunger nor thirst; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them: for he that hath mercy on them shall lead them, even by the springs of water shall he guide them.

   B.  HE IS THE WATER OF LIFE DURING THE DIFFICULT TIME.

ISAIAH 32:1-2 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment.  And a man shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

   C.  HE IS THE WATER OF LIFE THAT BRINGS PLEASURE.

PSALM 36:7-9 How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.  They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures.  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

NOTE: There are many who have never drank from Jesus the Water of Life that think there is not pleasure in being a Christian.

HEBREWS 11:24-26 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.

   Some people seem to endure their salvation but I enjoy mine.

ISAIAH 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.

   D.  HE IS THE WATER OF LIFE THAT BRINGS FREEDOM FROM SIN.

NOTE: When we drink of Jesus the Water of Life we are cleansed from sin. 

ZECHARIAH 13:1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness.

NOTE:  When we drink of Jesus the Water of Life we are assured of a place where sin will never be able to enter.

ISAIAH 33:20-21 Look upon Zion, the city of our solemnities: thine eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall ever be removed, neither shall any of the cords thereof be broken. But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.

REVELATION 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

   E.  ALL MAY COME AND DRINK OF THE WATER OF LIFE WITHOUT COST.

Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

REVELATION 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

III.  JESUS THE WATER OF LIFE FLOWS IN AND THROUGH THOSE WHO DRINK OF

       HIM.

JOHN 7:37-38 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

NOTE: The purpose of rivers of living water flowing from us is to bring water to those who are still living in the dessert of this world.

ISAIAH 58:10-11 And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: and the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.

NOTE: A garden is a place where those who are weary can come and find rest and refreshment.

SEPTEMBER 21, 2003

“JESUS: THE XTREME ‘X’ FACTOR”

SCRIPTURE READING: JEREMIAH 32:13-27 

SCRIPTURE TEXT: JEREMIAH 32:17, 27  

Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee… Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? 

INTRO: What does X + F + O = ? 

   There is a program on TV call “Xtreme Sports”.  

   People who are willing to step out of the ordinary and go beyond what others think they can do. 

   There are always people who are willing to push beyond the limits that others think are impassable. 

   Jesus stepped out of the ordinary when He left heaven to come and give His life for us. 

ROMANS 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 

   In math, the ‘X’ factor is an unknown number. 

   Jesus, all that He is, all that He possesses, and all He can do, is unknown to us. 

ISAIAH 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.  

ROMANS 11:33-36 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!  For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor?  Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?  For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.  

   As we face decisions that we as a congregation must make, we must remind ourselves that Jesus is the xtreme ‘X’ factor. 

EPHESIANS 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,  

JEREMIAH 32:17, 27 Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee…Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?  

There are three areas in our lives where we need Jesus to be the Xtreme ‘X’ factor. 

v      GUIDANCE

v      PROVISION

v      SALVATION 

I.  JESUS THE XTREME ‘X’ FACTOR IN GUIDANCE. 

NOTE: Jesus will never leave us without direction or purpose, the problem is that too often we fail to listen or heed His guidance. 

   At least seven times Jesus said, “He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear.” 

ISAIAH 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.  

   We seem so quick to hear the voices of others while we fail to listen to the voice of God, His Word. 

A.  WE MUST SEEK HIS GUIDANCE. 

PSALM 5:8 Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.  

PSALM 25:5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.  

PSALM 27:11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.  

PSALM 143:10 Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.  

B.  WE MUST OBEDIENT TO HIS GUIDANCE. 

NOTE: Fear and unbelief will keep us from walking the paths that God want to lead us in. 

ILL:  The Children of Israel. 

   When we obey and trust God guidance great things happen. 

ILL: Abraham & Isaac. 

   C.  SOMETIMES HIS GUIDANCE IS THROUGH DARK WATERS. 

PSALM 23:4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.  

ILL: Joseph 

II.  JESUS IS THE XTREME ‘X’ FACTOR IN PROVISIONS. 

NOTE: No matter how great the need or difficult the situation, Jesus is able to meet and go beyond what we need. 

1 CORINTHIANS 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.  

   It is our faith and obedience that determines how Xtreme Of An ‘X’ Factor Jesus is in our lives. 

ISAIAH 48:17-19 Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.  O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before me.  

   Unbelief will cause us to suffer great loses that God had wanted to bless us with. 

2 KINGS 7:19-20 The officer had said to the man of God, "Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?" The man of God had replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of it!"  And that is exactly what happened to him, for the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died.  

   Those who believed and received from the Xtreme ‘X’ Factor: 

v      Manna & water in the wilderness

v      The Widow with the oil and meal

v      The Widow with the cruse of oil.

v      Naaman

v      Wedding in Cana

v      Feeding of the 4 & 5 thousand 

III.  JESUS THE XTREME ‘X’ FACTOR IN SALVATION 

NOTE: Often people think that they have sinned to greatly for God to forgive them. 

v      The Woman caught in adultery. (John 8)

v      Zacchaeus (Luke 19)

v      Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9) 

CONCLUSION:  X + F + O = Success

 X is JESUS

F  is  Faith

O  is Obedience

SEPTEMBER 28, 2003

“JESUS: OUR YOKEFELLOW” 

SCRIPTURE READING: ECCLESIASTES 4:7-12 

SCRIPTURE TEXT: MATTHEW 11:28-30 

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  

INTRO: The word YOKEFELLOW means a close companion or mate. 

   A YOKEFELLOW is someone who is there during the sorrows as well as the joys, the defeats as well as the victories, in times of disappointments as well as times of success. 

   A YOKEFELLOW is someone who not only shares our sorrows and pains but their joy and happiness. 

   We may have many acquaintances; a few friends but most of us have only a couple of YOKEFELLOWS. 

   A YOKEFELLOW is someone with whom you share you wildest dream and your worst failures, without the fear of being laugh at or criticized. 

     A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts. 

      A yoke is often used to connect two animals together to perform a common task. 

   There were times when a farmer would yoke a young frisky animal to an older calm animal. 

   Jesus longs to be our YOKEFELLOW but we in our pride often fail to allow Him to become close enough to help carry our burdens. 

1 PETER 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  

   The yoke is a symbol of burden bearing; by offering to be our YOKEFELLOW, Jesus is offering to bear our burdens. 

   Jesus invites two groups of people to allow Him to be their YOKEFELLOW: 

·         Those who are extremely weary.

·         Those who are under extreme pressure. 

I.  JESUS WANTS TO BE A YOKEFELLOW TO THOSE WHO ARE EXTREMELY WEARY. 

Psalm 6:6-7 I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.  

NOTE:  There are many things in life that can make us weary: 

·         Being overworked

·         Sickness

·         Disappointments

·         Failures 

   The reason we become weary is that we seek to do it in our own strength. 

Isaiah 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.  

Isaiah 55:1-2 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.  Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? And your labour for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.  

   We can become weary in doing the work of the Lord. 

Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.  

2 Thessalonians 3:13 But ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.  

Hebrews 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. 

   Jesus invites us to come to Him and allow Him to share our workload so that we need not grow weary.  

Matthew 11:28 (niv) Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  

Isaiah 50:4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.  

Jeremiah 31:25 I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. 

Isaiah 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  

Matthew 8:17 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.  

II.  JESUS WANTS TO BE A YOKEFELLOW TO THOSE WHO   ARE UNDER THE EXTREME PRESSURE OF A HEAVY BURDEN. 

Psalm 55:22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.  

NOTE:  There are many burdens & responsibilities that will produce extreme pressure in our lives. 

   The greatest burden we carry is sin. 

   Only Jesus can carry this burden for us. 

   Jesus has already carried our burden of sin at the cross. 

Isaiah 53:12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.  

Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.  

1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.  

   Jesus invites us to come to Him and allow Him to carry our burden of sin. 

ISAIAH 1:18-20 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.  

   Jesus offers to carry our load of sin, but it is up to us whether or not we allow Him to do so. 

JOHN 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.  

CONCLUSION:  Come to Jesus today and allow Him to be your YOKEFELLOW giving you rest in your labor and allow Him to carry your load of sin.