Category Archives: Sermon Outlines

Walking in God’s Light (1 John 1:5-2:2)

Walking in God's Light

(1 John 1:5-2:2)

I. “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5)

    A. God is light (James 1:17; Gen. 1:3; 1 Tim. 6:16; 1 Peter 2:9)
    B. Darkness is the realm of Satan (Ephesians 6:11-12; Colossians 1:13; Ephesians 5:8)

II. Six “if” statements

    A. “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” (1 John 1:6; Matthew 6:2,5,16; Galatians 2:11-13)
    B. “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7; Matthew 26:28)
    C. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8; Gal. 6:3; James 1:22)
    D. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
    (1 John 1:9)
    E. “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.” (1 John 1:10; Romans 3:23)
    F. “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John 2:1b)

III. What we have as a result of walking in God’s light

    A. Fellowship (1 John 1:7)
    B. Cleansing (1 John 1:7,9; Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Ephesians 2:13; Colossians 1:20)
    C. Forgiveness (1 John 1:9)
    D. An Advocate who appeases (1 John 2:1-2; 4:9-10)

The Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5-13)

The Friend at Midnight (Luke 11:5-13)

(Luke 11:5-13)

I. The parable of persistence delivered in contrasts (11:5-8)

    A. A request made at an inconvenient time (cf. Psalm 74:16)
    B. The request initially denied (cf. 1 Peter 3:12)
    C. The reluctance of the friend (cf. 1 John 5:14-15)

II. Our responsibility in prayer (11:9-13)

    A. Ask (James 1:5-8)
    B. Seek (Deuteronomy 4:29; Matthew 6:33)
    C. Knock (Matthew 9:37-38; Galatians 6:10)
    D. The contrast between evil men and God (11:11-13)

III. Praying for the Holy Spirit (11:13)

    A. The Bible is its own best interpreter!
    B. The Holy Spirit stands for the “good things” He does (Matthew 7:11)
    C. The background of Jesus’ words is Joel 2:28-32, looking forward to Pentecost (John 16:7-8; Mark 9:1; Acts 1:8; 2:4; 8:16-19)

Degrees of Reward and Punishment

Degrees of Reward and Punishment

I. The reality of judgment

    A. Jesus (Matthew 13:37-43, 47-50; 25:31-46)
    B. John (1 John 4:17)
    C. Peter (2 Peter 3:7)
    D. Paul (2 Corinthians 5:10)
    E. The Hebrews writer (6:1-2; 9:27-28)

II. Degress of reward

    A. Eternal reward (Revelation 2:7, 10; 3:5, 21; Philippians 3:12-14)
    B. Rewarded for what we have done (Luke 19:12-26)
    C. Increased joy (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20; Philippians 4:1)

III. Degrees of punishment

    A. Vengeance awaits “those who do not know” and “do not obey” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
    B. Jesus speaks of such degrees (Matthew 10:14-15; 11:20-24)
    C. Many stripes vs. few stripes (Luke 12:42-48)
    D. “Worse punishment” (Hebrews 10:26-31)

“My Betrayer is at Hand” (Mark 14:42-46)

My Betrayer is at Hand (Mark 14:42-46)

(Mark 14:42-46)

I. Judas, who betrayed Him

    A. One of the 12 apostles, chosen by Jesus Himself (3:14-19)
    B. Fulfillment of prophecy (Psalm 41:9)
    C. Proximity to Jesus is no guarantee of fidelity to Jesus (cf. Revelation 2:4-5, 14-16, 20; 3:1-3, 15-16)

II. One of Judas’ weaknesses was a love for money

    A. A thief who stole from the money box (John 12:4-6)
    B. His price for betrayal was 30 pieces of silver (Matthew 26:14-16); fulfillment of prophecy (Zechariah 11:12)
    C. Money is often still a problem among the Lord’s people (Mark 4:19; 1 Timothy 6:9-10; Revelation 3:16-17)

III. The remorse of Judas

    A. He did not anticipate the consequences (Matthew 27:3-4)

      1. We, too, may think we are doing the “right thing” in a given situation (Matthew 7:21-23)
      2. We must have the authority of God behind our actions and humbly submit to Him (Col. 3:17; Eccl. 5:1-2)

    B. He did not respond to his remorse appropriately (Matt.27:5; cf. 2 Corinthians 7:9-10; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The Cross in Prophecy

The Cross in Prophecy

I. The NT affirmation of the cross in prophecy

    A. Jesus (Luke 24:44-46)
    B. Paul (1 Corinthians 15:3; Acts 17:2-3; 26:22-24)
    C. Peter (Acts 2:22-28; 3:18)

II. “In that day” (Zechariah 12-14)

    A. Zechariah 12:9-11 — John 19:35-37 (cf. Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:20)
    B. Zechariah 13:7 — Matthew 26:31; Mark 14:27, 50 (cf. John 10:11, 14; Philippians 2:5-11)
    C. Zechariah 14:7 — John 1:3-5, 9
    D. Zechariah 14:8 — John 4:10; 7:37
    E. Zechariah 14:9 — Revelation 17:14

III. “The Suffering Servant” (Isaiah 52:13-53:12)

    A. Isaiah 53:5 — 1 Peter 2:24-25; John 19:34; 18:22; 19:3; 19:1
    B. Isaiah 53:7 — Matthew 26:63; 27:12-14; Mark 14:61; 15:5; Luke 23:9; John 19:9
    C. Isaiah 53:9 — Matthew 27:57-60
    D. Isaiah 53:12 — Luke 22:37; 23:32-33

Jesus’ Prediction Regarding the Destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 13:1-37)

Jesus' Prediction Regarding the Destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 13:1-37)

(Mark 13:1-37)

I. The background of the proclamation (13:1-2)

    A. The Jewish view of Jerusalem (Psalm 48:1-3; 50:1-2)
    B. The grandeur of the temple

      1. The disciples called the stones and buildings “wonderful” [NASB]
      2. Jesus simply referenced its size: “great” (large)
      3. These stones measured about 38x12x18 feet

II. The apostles asked three questions (13:3-4; cf. Matt. 24:3)

    A. “Tell us, when will these things be?”
    B. “And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?”
    C. “And what will be the sign…of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)

III. Jesus answered all three questions (13:5-37)

    A. “When?” (13:5-13) – after…

      1. False claims (13:5-6)
      2. Wars, rumors of wars (13:7)
      3. Natural and national disasters (13:8)
      4. Religious persecution (13:9-13)
      5. All of these things will happen before the “these things” of 13:2 happen, and “all these things” would happen during “this generation” to which Jesus spoke (13:30)

    B. “The sign when all these things will be fulfilled” (13:14-31)

      1. The abomination of desolation (13:14-23; Daniel 11:31; 12:11; Luke 21:20) – Josephus records the history of Roman general Titus and his siege
      2. Apocalyptic/figurative language (13:24-27) – keep it in the historical context of “those days”

        a. “The powers…will be shaken” (13:24-25) – the religious power in Judaism, authorities represented by sun, moon, stars
        b. Not the Second Coming, but the coming of Jesus in judgment against Jerusalem (13:26-27)

      3. The parable of the fig tree (13:28-31)

    C. “The end of the age” (13:32-37)

      1. “That day and hour no one knows” (13:32-33)
      2. “Watch!” (13:34-37)

Why Did John Write? (1 John 1:4; 2:1; 5:13)

Why Did John Write?

I. “That your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4)

    A. Based upon the truth of the apostles’ witness (1 Jn 1:1-3)
    B. Divine fellowship (1 John 1:3; 1:7; 3:24)
    C. God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9)
    D. Brotherly love (1 John 4:7-11)

II. “That you may not sin” (1 John 2:1)

    A. “Because your sins are forgiven for His name’s sake”
    (1 John 2:12; Romans 5:20-6:2; Psalm 103:12)
    B. “Because you have known Him who is from the beginning” (1 John 2:13,14; John 17:3)
    C. “Because you have overcome the wicked one” (1 John 2:13,14; 4:4; 5:4-5)
    D. “Because you have known the Father” (1 John 2:13; Jeremiah 31:33-34)
    E. “Because you are strong and the word of God abides in you” (1 John 2:14; 2 John 1:9)

III. “That you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13)

    A. How does one acquire faith? (Romans 10:17)
    B. Eternal life is a promise from the Father to the faithful
    (1 John 2:25; Titus 1:2; John 17:1-3)
    C. The Spirit inspired the Word to produce faith in us (John 17:20; 20:30-31)

The Danger of Extremism (Mark 12:1-44)

The Danger of Extremism (Mark 12:1-44)

(Mark 12:1-44)

I. Jesus opposed extremism

    A. The parable of the wicked vinedressers (12:1-9)

      1. The vinedressers represented the religious leaders who misused and abused their position
      2. God’s servants (prophets) had been mistreated
      3. God’s own Son would be killed
      4. Those vinedressers would be destroyed, and the vineyard would be given to others

    B. Jesus applies Scripture to Himself (12:10-11)
    C. Just as Jesus opposed extremism, extremists opposed Jesus (12:12)

II. Testing questions from extremists

    A. Pharisees and Herodians asked about taxes (12:13-17)
    B. Sadducees asked about marriage and the resurrection (12:18-27)
    C. A scribe asked about the greatest of the commandments (12:28-34)

III. Jesus warns against extremism

    A. Extremists do not respect the Scriptures or the nature of God (12:35-37)
    B. Extremists desire glory and praise for themselves, not for God (12:38-40)
    C. Extremists will do anything for themselves, but not for God (12:41-44)

Who is My Neighbor? (Luke 10:25-37)

Who is My Neighbor? (Luke 10:25-37)

(Luke 10:25-37)

I. The conversation

    A. “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (10:25)
    B. “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” (10:26-27; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18)
    C. “Do this and you will live” (10:28)
    D. “Who is my neighbor?” (10:29)

II. The parable

    A. The priest (10:30-31; cf. Deut. 22:1-4; Exodus 23:4-5)
    B. The Levite (10:32)
    C. The Samaritan (10:33-35)
    D. Which acted as a neighbor to the victim? (10:36-37a)

III. The call to action

    A. “Go and do likewise” (Luke 10:37b)
    B. A timeless truth (Micah 6:8; Matthew 23:23; Romans 13:10; Galatians 6:10)

The Goodness and Severity of the Lord (Mark 11:1-33)

The Goodness and Severity of the Lord (Mark 11:1-33)

(Mark 11:1-33)

I. The goodness of the Lord (11:1-11)

    A. His miraculous knowledge (11:1-7)
    B. The fulfillment of prophecy (11:8-11; cf. Zechariah 9:9)
    C. The people recognize His authority (11:9-10)

II. The severity of the Lord (11:12-26)

    A. Anger can be dangerous (Proverbs 19:11; 22:44) but is not in and of itself sinful (Ephesians 4:26; cf. Psalm 4:4; 37:8)
    B. Jesus was angry that a fig tree had not borne fruit as it should (11:12-14)
    C. Jesus was angry that the people were misusing and abusing the temple (11:15-19)
    D. Jesus teaches about faith (11:20-24)
    E. Jesus warns about the anger of God toward those who are unmerciful while reminding them that He is willing to forgive (11:25-26; cf. Matthew 5:7)

III. The authority of the Lord (11:27-33)

    A. Jesus’ authority questioned (11:27-28)
    B. Jesus responds with a question (11:29-30)
    C. The inability (or unwillingness) to give an answer to His question resulted in the inability to receive an answer to their question (11:31-33)