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49: Forty-Nine Seven Point Sermon Outlines2. That I have talents and abilities to discover and develop, not only to use in the world, but also in thekingdom of God (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Peter 4:10-11). (i) There are those thathave talents and abilities whereby the church would benefit greatly, but they refuse to develop and usethem in the kingdom, (ii) There are those that claim to have no talents and abilities, saying, “I can’t doanything”. Whether their refusal to discover and develop such is due to pride, selfishness, apathy, or purelaziness, I don’t know. But the Lord will not accept any excuses, and we all know what happens to suchunprofitable servants (Matthew 25:30)!3. That I can discern my assignment. Paul said, “But now God has set the members, each one of them, in thebody just as He pleased” (1 Corinthians 12:18). Peter says, “As each one has received a gift, minister it toone another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as theoracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all thingsGod may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.Amen” (1 Peter 4:10-11). Your assignment is determined by the talents and abilities with which God hasblessed you, and so the onus is on you to discover and develop them. It is essential that you focus on whatyou can do and do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10) and not compare yourself with others (1Corinthians 12:15-21); which can lead to pride, jealousy and bitterness (1 Corinthians 4:7).III. PERSUASION #3I am persuaded that there is a crown of life laid up for me in heaven, and for all those that haveloved His appearing.A. Over the years, I have known brethren that have expressed doubtabout their salvation: when asked, “Are you going to heaven?Some have answered, “I hope so!” Others have said, “I don’tknow, that’s in God’s hands”, and one person said, “I doubt it; I’mjust not good enough”. So if someone says, “I know that I’msaved and I know that I’m going to heaven”, then you can imaginehow that might sound to such people! Some will marvel that theyhave such confidence; it is beyond their comprehension. Whileothers may think that such a person is a little bit too sure ofhimself; over confident; a little proud, perhaps. Is it possible tohave such a bold assurance of salvation?1. God called us and saved us for this reason: “that having been justified by His grace we should becomeheirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).2. The very reason we are running the spiritual race is to obtain an imperishable crown, i.e., eternal life. Incomparing our Christian life to a race, Paul says, “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for theprize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishablecrown” (1 Corinthians 9:24-25).3. John wrote to his brethren saying, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Sonof God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name ofthe Son of God” (1 John 5:13). This is why Paul could say, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown ofrighteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day”, and he goes on to say,“and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8).B. The power and impact of these truths - A constant reminder of God’s gift of eternal life motivates one to:1. Strive for purity: “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be,but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyonewho has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:2-3; 2 Corinthians 7:1).11

49: Forty-Nine Seven Point Sermon Outlines2. Preach to the lost because we know that the crown of righteousness is for all those that have loved Hisappearing (2 Timothy 4:8), and that God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth(1 Timothy 2:4).3. Worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) all the more earnestly. Paul often burst into praise; here is oneexample: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercyhas begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to aninheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who arekept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:3-5).IV. PERSUASION #4I am persuaded that I must have the heart of a warrior to survive on the battle-field.A. Every sincere Christian is engaged in a spiritual war.1. Before our conversion, we were “dead in trespasses and sins” and weconducted our lives according to the evil and ungodly principles of theworld (Ephesians 2:1-3; cp. 1 John 5:19; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4).2. But God has “delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed usinto the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we haveredemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians1:13-14).3. Now we are engaged in a spiritual war: Peter tells us to “Be sober, bevigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour”(1 Peter 5:8). Paul exhorts us to, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against thewiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11), and then he tells us why: “For we do not wrestle against flesh andblood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, againstspiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). The word “wrestle” is from theGreek word palē, which refers to hand-to-hand combat. The struggle in the spiritual realm is personal;each one must fight against the forces of evil.B. Since we are engaged in a spiritual war for the rest of our lives, we are exhorted to “Put on the whole armor ofGod, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11), and again, “Therefore takeup the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand”(Ephesians 6:13). The armor is defensive: the helmet protects the head, the breastplate protects the torso, etc.But we are also given a weapon – a sword. We must pick up the sword we have been given and fight!1. There are some Christians that simply drift through life and never engage in battle – their sword neverleaves its scabbard – they hate the idea of conflict. I can think of two reasons why some don’t fight: (i)The have an erroneous concept of Christianity (i.e., they believe love excludes all conflict), and, (ii) Theydeliberately ignore the concept of battle because, quite simply, they don’t want to fight. This is wilfuldisobedience.2. It is essential, though, to have the heart of a warrior and fight, not only against temptation (James 1:12; 4:7; 1Corinthians 10:13), but against false teachers (1 Timothy 1:3-4; 6:3-5, 20-21; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Titus 1:9, 10-14; 2:15;3:9-11; e.g., Matthew 23:13-36; Galatians 2:11-13; 3 John 1:9-10), and expose the unfruitful works of darkness(Ephesians 5:11). To refuse to fight the good fight of faith is to wilfullydisobey God who has put the sword in your hand.“When the Son of Man comes,will He really find faith on the3. If you do not take up your sword and fight, then you will die. Whatearth?” (Luke 18:8).would happen if all Christians refused to take up their swords andfight? Consider: the church only exists in the world today because of Christians that are prepared to standand fight for the truth – without such people, the church would quickly disappear. The world, no doubt,would become like it was in the days of Noah (Genesis 6:5-7).12

49: Forty-Nine Seven Point Sermon OutlinesV. PERSUASION #5I am persuaded that it is essential to pursue wisdom, grow in knowledge, and seekunderstanding.A. You might say, “Well, I think everyone would agree with that!”1. Yes, but to agree and to do are two different things, aren’t they? (i)Some hear the word, but do not obey it (James 1:22-24), (ii) Some claimto have faith, but have no works (James 2:14-26), (iii) Some claim tohave love, but do not show that love by keeping God’scommandments (1 John 5:2-3; 2 John 1:6) and loving their brethren (1John 3:16-18), and, (iv) some claim to have a hope of going to heaven,but they are not pursuing purity (1 John 3:2-3; 2 Corinthians 7:1).2. Many will agree that it is essential to pursue wisdom, grow in knowledge, and seek understanding, and willeven claim to be doing so. If this is true, then: (i) Why is it essential to pursue these things? (ii) Explainexactly what it is you are doing in your pursuit of these things? (iii) What proofs of these pursuits do youhave to show? Just as faith without works is meaningless, so is persuasion.B. I am persuaded 1. That it is essential to pursue wisdom because (i) Solomon said, “Wisdom is the principle thing; thereforeget wisdom” (Proverbs 4:7), (ii) Wisdom is essential to live the Christian life (Proverbs 1:20-33; 2:6-10).2. That it is essential to grow in knowledge because (i) Solomon said, “The heart of the prudent acquiresknowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge” (Proverbs 18:15), (ii) “It is dangerous to have zealwithout knowledge ” (Proverbs 19:2), (iii) Knowledge is essential to live the Christian life (2 Peter 1:2-4).3. That it is essential to seek understanding because (i) In the acquiring of wisdom, Solomon says, “And in allyour getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7), (ii) Understanding is essential to learn God’scommandments (Psalms 119:73), (iii) Without understanding one is a fool (Proverbs 8:5; 9:6; 18:2).VI. PERSUASION #6I am persuaded that the power to convert unbelievers is the gospel, and that the power totransform believers is the word of God.A. Like me, you are persuaded that the gospel is “the power of God tosalvation for everyone who believes” (Romans 1:16), and you believe thepower to transform believers and conform them to the image of God’s Sonis the word of God (Romans 8:29; 12:2; cp. Ephesians 4:23; Colossians 3:10).B. If we believe in the power of the gospel and God’s word, then it will bereflected in our conduct, and specifically in our preaching and teaching.1. We will preach the gospel to someone and, if they refuse to believe, wewill not continue to badger and harass them. Jesus said, “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor castyour pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces”(Matthew 7:6), and, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. Andwhoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under yourfeet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom andGomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!” (Mark 6:10-11). Our responsibility is to sow the seedand let God give the increase: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither hewho plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). Tocontinue badgering someone – despite our reasonings and excuses – we are (i) disobeying the Lord’steaching, and, (ii) demonstrating by our behavior our belief that the power to convert is in us.13

49: Forty-Nine Seven Point Sermon Outlines2. Teaching others can be frustrating at times because there are some brethren that are hearers of the wordand not doers (cp. James 1:22), and we wonder what will provoke them to become doers of the word. Thereis a temptation, then, to keep badgering that person – we think that constant repetition will change theirattitude or convince them of some truth. I have known people that behave this way, but – despite theirreasonings and justifications – their behavior is actually demonstrating that they believe the power topersuade is in themselves. Such people actually do more harm than good.3. Once we are truly persuaded that the power to convert a lost soul is the gospel, then: (i) We will move ononce someone has refused to believe. (ii) If we truly believe that the power to produce faithfulness andobedience is the word of God, then we will not continue casting our pearls before swine. Sometimes wemight feel guilty if we don’t continue badgering people, but a right understanding removes sucherroneous feelings.VII. PERSUASION #7I am persuaded that God is with me if I teach the truth; regardless of how unwelcome it is, andirrespective of the negative effects on my relationships.A. We all have family, friends, and work colleagues that are dead intrespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1-3); not to mention all the lostsouls with whom we come into contact in our daily lives (deliverymen, shop keepers, etc.). God desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy2:3-4) and as His children, so do we (cp. Jude 1:22-23). The majorityof mankind will be lost (Matthew 7:13-14) because people tend tolove darkness rather than light (John 3:19). In fact, those that rejectChrist prove that they hate Him: “The world cannot hate you, butit hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil” (John 7:7).B. Living in such a hostile environment, we shouldn’t be surprised ifwe encounter rejection, hatred, and even persecution from those towhom we preach the gospel. Indeed, Jesus warned us to expect such hostility (John 15:18-20; Matthew 10:32-39).1. So, as we fulfill our obligation out of love for lost souls in teaching others, we experience mockery,rejection, slander, accusations, hatred, and persecution. Such hostility not only comes from unbelievers,but from insincere brethren, too! Paul warned: “For the time will come when they will not endure sounddoctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up forthemselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2Timothy 4:3-4). (i) There were insincere brethren that were preaching Christ from selfish ambition andsupposed they would add affliction to Paul’s chains while he was in prison (Philippians 1:16), and, (ii)Diotrephes was one that loved to have the preeminence among his brethren and slandered the apostles (3John 1:9-10).2. Yes, all those that live godly lives will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12), but we must continue in thethings that we have learned and of which we have been assured (2 Timothy 3:14).a. If we become an enemy to someone because we teach the truth, then so be it (Galatians 4:16), and if wehave to suffer for the sake of the Lord, then we rejoice: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerningthe fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to theextent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be gladwith exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit ofglory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified” (1Peter 4:12-14). The phrase “the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” is a way of saying that wehave God’s approval. Further, the Lord has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” and so wecan boldly say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6).14

49: Forty-Nine Seven Point Sermon Outlinesb. Our attitude: though I am rejected by unbelieving family members, friends, work colleagues, and eveninsincere brethren, I will rejoice knowing that the Lord is with me. Paul wrote, “At my first defense noone stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood withme and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all theGentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion” (2 Timothy 4:16-17).Conclusion1. Every sincere Christian has put on the armor of God, taken up his sword, and has gone forth into battle againstprincipalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenlyplaces (Ephesians 6:12).2. The battle never stops raging and it often becomes overwhelming, and we may even feel like giving up at times!We cannot fight the good fight alone: “The arm of flesh will fail you”, as the song says; we need God’s help.One of the things that helps me in the daily battle is to remind myself of seven things of which I am persuaded,which we have discussed in this lesson. I read them every morning and they encourage and strengthen me.Maybe they will encourage and strengthen you, too.Copyright DavidCambridge201515

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49: Forty-Nine Seven Point Sermon OutlinesESSENTIAL THINGS SINCERE BRETHRENHAVE IN COMMON THAT BIRTHCLOSE RELATIONSHIPSIntroduction1. In the book of Acts, Luke records the establishment of the Lord’s church (Acts 2:1-47), its rapid growth, and spreadthroughout the known world. One interesting statement Luke makes regarding the disciples is this: “Now themultitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things hepossessed was his own, but they had all things in common” (Acts 4:32).a. Commenting on the terms “one heart” and “one soul”, Gill says, “There was an entire consent and agreementin doctrine, in matters of faith they were all of one mind and judgment, and there was a perfect harmony intheir practice, they all performed the same duties, and observed the same commands and ordinances; and allpursued the same interest, and had the same ends and views; and there was a strict union of their affections toeach other; their souls were knit to one another; so that there was, but as it were, one soul in this large bodyof Christians.”b. This is the unity for which Jesus prayed (John 17:17-23) and of which every Christian is exhorted to maintain(Ephesians 4:1-3).2. From this verse (Acts 4:32) we discern two simple general truths: (i) Relationships and close bonds develop out ofcommonalities. It may be that we have friends with whom we share just one or two things in common (a love ofsport and adventure), and we may have other friends with whom we Relationships develop out of commonalities.share just about eve

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