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Pulpit Preview is sent to all that desire it for the purpose of sharing sermon ideas & useful illustrations. It is sent via email on a bi-weekly bases. Edi-tor: Mark N. Posey - preaching minister for the Austinville Church of Christ (2833 Danville Rd. SW Decatur, AL 35603) since 1994. Please send comments to "pulpitpreview@austinvillecoc.org"
(or) to the address above. Thanks, MNP.
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SERMON: What the World will not Teach our Children!
TEXT: Ephesians 6:4; Proverbs 22:6
Introduction: A few years ago a top-selling book promoted the philosophy - ¡§It takes a village to raise a child.¡¨ WOW! If the ¡§village¡¨ is the world there are just too many things I can¡¦t trust them to teach my children. Here are a few...
ƒ¡ƒ| A lie is a lie is a lie. We live in a time when dishonest businessmen and politicians fold, spindle and mutilate the truth so artfully that soon it¡¦s hard to remember what¡¦s real and what¡¦s not. God¡¦s commands are clear: don¡¦t lie. Cf. Ex. 23:1; Rev. 21:8; 22:15. He doesn¡¦t make exception for white lies, coloring the truth, or the end justifies the means. He simple says don¡¦t do it!
ƒ¢ƒ| Think of others first. Wow, this is contrary to the ¡§look-out-for-number-one¡¨ society. God calls us to ¡§esteem others better than himself¡¨ (Phil. 2:3). We love in a culture that applauds selfishness and self-centeredness, but Jesus says, ¡§Whosoever will be great among you let him be your servant¡¨ (Mt. 20:26).
ƒ£ƒ| Authority figures deserve respect. This idea is under attack by the media. Turn on cartoons, kid¡¦s shows and the latest children¡¦s movies, and you¡¦ll see parents depicted as bungling buffonns whose children rule the roost and set the rules. School administrators and teachers, law enforcement and all facets of government are portrayed as inept, corrupt or clueless. However, if our children grow up with the idea that all authority is to be questioned, bucked, mocked and disobeyed, how will they ever submit to the ultimate Authority¡Xtheir Lord and Creator? Cf. Romans 13:1. Oh, and by the way, this means referees, airport security and the policeman that just stopped you for driving too fast. It also means respect for Elders, Deacons & Preachers.
ƒ¤ƒ| Be careful what you allow into your brain. Paul said, ¡§bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ¡¨ (2 Cor. 10:5). Our kids need to know that the Devil will do all he can to put horrendous thoughts into their heads, but it¡¦s their job to pop them right back out. It¡¦s not a sin to be tempted (Heb. 4:15); it¡¦s sin to invite the wrong to put up its feet and stay awhile (Jam. 1:13-15). Let Philippians 4:8 be your standard.
ƒ¥ƒ| God invented sex for marriage. Do your children know God¡¦s perfect blueprint for marriage¡Xone biological woman and man devoted to each other, and sex as a beautiful, pure expression of their love and devotion? Don¡¦t just assume they know it, tell them God¡¦s plan. Cf. Prov. 5:15-18; Heb. 13:4; Gen. 2:18-25. Tell them that sex before marriage is ¡§fornication¡¨ and sex outside of marriage is ¡§adultery,¡¨ and both are WRONG!
Conclusion: The world has a lot to say to our kids and a lot of avenues to get their message across. Don¡¦t assume that your children will just GET-IT by tak-ing them to church three times each week, gospel meetings and church camp. They will benefit from these, but there¡¦s nothing better than your instruction, both in word and deed. Let¡¦s speak and live like Christ as we raise our kids!
Adapted¡XMark N. Posey
SERMON: A Christian NEW YEAR all year long!
TEXT: Philippians 3:13-14
Introduction: Resolutions are typical this time of year. Most of us will make a resolution, promising to make change in our lives for the better. Therefore, commitment, dedication and determination are in full swing and great abun-dance. Losing weight, exercising more, better financial stability and enjoying life rank high on most lists. However, as February roles around, fires cool and steam fizzles; but it shouldn¡¦t, especially for Christians. Resolute and resilient Christians should blaze the trail in the land called ¡§Promises Kept,¡¨ but in what areas? In what ways will this year be any different than the previous?
1. THIS YEAR I will lose the weight of sin. I will lay aside every weighty transgression, encumbrance and distraction, and run with perseverance the Christian race (Heb. 12:1-2). I will NOT run a competitive race, but a coop-erative one. I¡¦m running with, not against, my brethren.
2. THIS YEAR I will exercise greater discernment between good and evil. I will repetitiously and habitually train my spiritual senses to discern good from evil (Heb. 5:14). In doing so, my ability to teach God¡¦s Word will dra-matically increase; I will go from being a student to being a teacher.
3. THIS YEAR I will save the souls of my friends and family. Jesus is the only savior; so, I will live like Him, love like Him and labor like Him in bringing my loved ones to the precious and redeeming blood (1 Pet. 1:19).
4. THIS YEAR I will improve my spiritual health. I will consume large quan-tities of spiritual meat (Heb. 5:13-14). My hunger and thirst for righteous-ness (Matt. 5:6) will help me grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18). I will be faithful and fit for the Lord!
5. THIS YEAR I will better organize my thoughts, words and deeds. I will clean out all the evil from my heart, mind and soul, replacing it with virtu-ous and praise worthy thoughts, words and deeds (Col. 3:5-17; Phil. 4:8).
6. THIS YEAR I will enjoy my spiritual life more. I will rejoice in ¡§newness of life¡¨ (Rom. 6:4), repentance of sin (2 Cor. 7:9, 10), ¡§joy of faith¡¨ (Phil. 1:25), ¡§the Lord¡¨ (Phil. 4:4) and difficulties that strengthen my faith (Jam. 1:2-4). I will realize more than I have in the past that lasting joy comes from a Christ-like mind (Phil. 2:5), faith filled heart (Phil. 1:3-11), soul centered hope (Heb. 6:19; 1 Pet. 3:15) and love motivated life (Matt. 22:37-39).
7. THIS YEAR I will quit making excuses and always abound in the Lord¡¦s work. I will conduct myself as an effective and faithful worker for the Lord (Eph. 2:10). I will refuse the notion that my efforts for Him are empty and worthless (1 Cor. 15:58b). I will work, not to gain salvation (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5), but to display it (Jam. 2:18).
Conclusion: Resolutions are only as good as the ability and dedication of the promise maker to reach their goal. Therefore, my work is clear and ordered! I must determine to be unwavering, grounded and unmovable in my commit-ment to reach spiritual goals. This year is for the Lord! - Mark N. Posey
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SERMON: Top Priorities!
TEXT: 2 Corinthians 8:5
Theme: We must realize & remember what our top priorities are!
1. My #1 LOVE (Mark 12:28-33). This is my priority of devotion.
„h ¡§And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first command-ment.¡¨ (v.30)
„h Heart, soul, mind and strength = totally, completely, entirely.
2. My #1 GOAL (Matthew 6:33). This is my priority of ambition.
„h ¡§But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.¡¨
„h We must seek first the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is the Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Cf. Eph. 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 15:24; Eph. 5:23-27.
„h We must seek first the Righteousness of God. The ¡§righteousness of God is revealed¡¨ (1:17) in the ¡§gospel of Christ¡¨ (1:16).
3. My #1 JOB (1 Timothy 2:1-2). This is my priority of dedication.
„h ¡§Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be make for all me, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.¡¨
„h ¡§First of all¡¨ indicates that prayer is most important in the ministry of the Church. Cf. 1 Kings 17:8-16 (esp.v13); Matt. 7:5; 2 Cor. 8:5,12; Heb. 5:12; 1 John 4:19.
„h Prayer was as much a part of the apostolic ministry as preaching the word (Acts 6:4).
„h We must really want to pray, and not pray simply to please people (as did the Pharisees ¡V Matthew 6:5), or to fulfill ¡§religious duty.¡¨
„h Christians need to be prepared to pray. Our heart must be right with God and with each other.
The health of a church will rise and fall with preaching. God chose ¡§the foolishness of the message preached to save those who be-lieve¡¨ (1 Cor. 1:21). Thus, the preacher announces the good news of salvation to those living in the world (Acts 8:5). Certainly not all living in the world are lost, but all are influenced by its lusts. The preacher¡¦s task is challenging and focused; he is commanded to ¡§preach the word¡¨ (2 Tim. 4:2). The word ¡§preach¡¨ (kerusso) means, ¡§proclaim (cf. Matt. 10:27); literally, herald, make known officially and publically a matter of great significance.¡¨ Therefore, the church in the 21st centu-ry desperately needs biblical preaching; preaching that is not replaced with entertainment, performances, drama or theatrics. „Ñ
Pulpit Preview is sent for the pur-pose of sharing sermon ideas & useful illustrations. It is sent via email on a bi-weekly bases. Editor: Mark N. Posey, D.D., preaching minister for the Austinville Church of Christ (2833 Danville Rd. SW Decatur, AL 35603) since 1994. Please send all comments to¡Xpulpitpreview@austinvillecoc.org
or address above. Thanks, MNP.
TOPICAL SERMON
November 18, 2011 „I Vol. 3, No. 22
Three Different Types of Sermons
Preaching is the proclamation of the Word of God to men by men under assignment from God. It is the means for the trans-mission of the Word of God to a lost world; it serves also as an official means of grace for the building up and strengthening of the Church of Christ. A sermon is a form of public discourse on a religious or moral subject, usually delivered as part of a church service. Sermons come in various and sundry types. Basically, there are three types of sermons: Expository, Textual & Topical.
„»EXPOSITORY: Expository preaching concentrates on a specific text and dis-cusses topics covered therein. This type of sermon unfolds a paragraph or unit of thought of scripture, generally two or more verses. The theme or overall main point of the passages formulates the proposition. The points (major or minor) are derived only from this singular section of scripture. You may illustrate or explain by using other passages, however, the expositor digs into a paragraph from God¡¦s Word and pulls our the significant, timeless truths.
„»TEXTUAL: The Textual Sermon is a miniature Expository Sermon covering a few verses, a verse, or part of a verse, but not the whole paragraph. This type of sermon usually develops a single verse of scripture. The theme (proposition) and main points come directly from the verse, but the major points may be developed from other scripture passages. This form of sermon is generally good for preaching ¡§Great Bible Texts¡¨ or ¡§Favorite Bible Verses¡¨ and will often occur in a series.
„»TOPICAL: The Topical Sermon is usually developed from a topic that comes from a passage or passages of scripture. This type of sermon develops a topic or subject that the preacher chooses (e.g., prayer, holiness, separation, love, commit-ment, priorities, etc.). This type of sermon requires the preacher to have an overall knowledge of the Bible and an ability to pull together related passages from differ-ent parts of the Bible to support the topic being preached. This skill is also used in Systematic Theology. The use of a concordance (e.g., Strong¡¦s) or a topical Bible (e.g., Nave¡¦s) is helpful in this type of sermon preparation.
„h Topical Preaching¡X ¡§Preaching about the Bible.¡¨
„h Textual Preaching¡X ¡§Preaching from the Bible.¡¨
„h Expository Preaching¡X ¡§Preaching the Bible.¡¨
The most important hour of the week in a nation is the hour when God's men approach the pulpit and Herald Eternal Truths. ƒt
-Mark N. Posey
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SERMON: The Three Crosses of Calvary
TEXT: Luke 23:32-33; Isaiah 53:12
INTRODUCTION: The theme of God¡¦s redemptive plan runs through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. At its heart is Calvary, the place where Jesus died so we could be forgiven. Isaiah foretold that Christ would be ¡§numbered with the transgressors¡¨ (Isa. 53:12). As we look to Calvary, we see three crosses.
1. The Cross of REBELLION (Luke 23:39). This man was dying because of crimes he had committed. Jesus had done nothing against him, yet this man used some of his last minutes in life to mock and scorn Jesus. As death ap-proached, he was not moved to sorrow by thoughts of being punished for-ever for his wicked life. He was returning another's love with bitterness. Je-sus was dying for him also. Even the solemnity of death couldn't restrain the blasphemies from his lips. This man died scoffing; he died in sin.
2. The Cross of REPENTANCE (LUKE 23:40-43). This man saw his horrible situa-tion and considered his eternal fate (i.e., Remorse is moral anguish arising from repentance for past misdeeds; bitter regret). He was moved to repent-ance, and Jesus rewarded him with forgiveness. Before he died physically, this man died to sin.
3. The Cross of REDEMPTION. On this cross was the sinless Son of God. His mission on earth was to seek and save the lost, climaxing in the sacrifice of His life to pay the price for our sins. Jesus ¡§committed no sin,¡¨ but He ¡§bore our sins in His own body on the tree¡¨ (1 Pet. 2:22, 24). Many people taunted and challenged Him to show He was the Christ by coming down from the cross. Instead, He demonstrated His love for you and me by stay-ing on the cross. The man on the middle cross died for sin.
CONCLUSION: God¡¦s Old Covenant with the Jews separated the Jews from all other nations. He removed it when Jesus died (Eph. 2:11-16; Col. 2:14; Rom. 7:6-7; Gal. 3:24-25). In its place, the death of Jesus brought the New Covenant for all people of all nations (Heb. 9:15-17; 12:24; Mk. 16:15-16). Now, after His death, a believing sinner receives the benefit of the death of Jesus by repenting, confessing his faith, and being baptized into the death of Christ. Cf. Rom. 6:3-4.
- Mark N. Posey
The Roman soldiers led Jesus out of Jerusa-lem to the place of His execution. That place was called ¡§Golgotha¡¨ in the Aramaic language and ¡§Calvary¡¨ in the Latin lan-guage. Both names mean ¡§skull.¡¨ The Bible does not tell us whether it was a hill or a level area. But it does tell us that there were three crosses on which three persons were executed that day (Luke 23:32-33). ƒt
Pulpit Preview is sent for the pur-pose of sharing sermon ideas & useful illustrations. It is sent via email on a bi-weekly bases. Editor: Mark N. Posey, D.D., preaching minister for the Austinville Church of Christ (2833 Danville Rd. SW Decatur, AL 35603) since 1994. Please send all comments to¡Xpulpitpreview@austinvillecoc.org
or address above. Thanks, MNP.
December 1, 2011 „I Vol. 3, No. 24
Homiletics
Homiletics (Gr. homiletikos, from homilos, to assemble to-gether), in theology is the application of the general principles of rhetoric to the specific department of public preaching. The one who practices or studies homiletics is called a homilist. Homiletics is the study of the composition and delivery of a sermon or other religious discourse. It includes all forms of preaching, viz., the sermon, homily and theological instruction. It is further defined as the study of the analysis, classification, preparation, composition and delivery of sermons.
Different from a speech or a public address, which is usually for the enter-tainment of an audience, the sermon is the proclamation of God¡¦s eternal word. The preacher has nothing worthwhile to say if he does not minister from the Holy Scriptures. Such a proclamation may take the form of evangelistic preach-ing, encouragement or theological teaching, but it must always be firmly estab-lished and built upon the Bible. TEACHING (Romans 12:7): William Glasser (psychologist) said that we learn...
a. 10% of what we read.
b. 20% of what we hear.
c. 30% of what we see.
d. 50% of what we see and hear.
e. 70% of what we discuss with others.
f. 80% of what we experience personally.
g. 95% of what we teach others. ENCOURAGEMENT (Romans 12:8): Paul encouraged people to practice what they had been taught. Those who are taught but not exhorted become ¡§lazy sheep¡¨ that only take in and never live the Christian life. Those who are ex-horted but not taught become excited and active, but have no depth or un-derstanding of what they do and will burn out quickly or work in wrong ways. Preaching includes exhortation and practical application. EVANGELISM (Ephesians 4:11): Someone said, ¡§It is easy to determine when something is aflame¡Xit ignites other material. Any fire that does not spread will eventually go out. A preacher without a message of evangelism is a con-tradiction in terms, just as a fire that does not burn is a contradiction.¡¨
A sermon is not just proclamation, but living out a life of faith in Christ among, and in full view of, those same people, once the sermon is over.
-Mark N. Posey
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An old Indian legend
Many years ago, Indian youths would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One such youth hiked into a beautiful valley. There he fasted, and on the third day he decided to test himself against the mountain. He put on his buffalo-hide shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders, and set off to climb the peak.
When he reached the top, he could see forever, and his heart swelled with joy. Then he heard a rustle at his feet. Looking down, he saw a snake. Be-fore he could move, the snake spoke: ¡§I am about to die. It is too cold for me up here, and I am freezing. There is no food, and I am starving. Put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley.¡¨
"Oh, no," said the youth. "I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite me, and I will die."
"Not so,"¨ said the snake. "I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, you will be special. I will not harm you."
The youth withstood for a while, but this was a very persuasive snake with beautiful markings. At last the youth tucked it under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it gently on the grass. Suddenly, the snake coiled, rattled, and struck, biting him on the leg.
"But you promised!" cried the youth.
"You knew what I was when you picked me up," said the snake as it slithered away.
Iron Eyes Cody
The CROSS points in four directions to show that the love of Jesus is WIDE enough to include every human being. God's grace has appeared to all: Titus 2:11. LONG enough to last through all eternity. Jesus gives everlasting life¡¨ - Matt. 25:46. DEEP enough to reach the most guilty sinner. Christ came to save sinners¡Luke 19:10. HIGH enough to take us to heaven. Born again to a living hope: 1Peter 1:3-5.
September 20, 2011 „I Vol. 3, No. 18
The Preacher's Wife
I would like to recognize and honor all the ladies who are married to preachers regardless of where they are serving in the Lord¡¦s work. When one stops to think about the sacrifices these ladies make in order to support their husbands, it has to be very stressful and difficult. They have to contend with a lot of things such as late-night telephone calls, late visits to hospitals, or to the homes of people in need for whatever reason. No matter what they are trying to do, such as going out to eat for a nice quiet dinner, the phone rings continually. They sacrifice time away from their husbands, are at home alone with the children, and have to take care of things around the house normally done by the spouse. Many extra duties are shifted to their responsibility list. They have to become managers, accountants, shoppers and chief discipliner. They put on so many different hats that they have to become mother and fa-ther at the same time. Sometimes pressure even comes from outside. Congre-gations sometime seem to expect them to do things that are not or should not be required from them.
Preachers do not always get the best working conditions and best paying positions, but they go because they have taken on the responsibility of doing the Lord's work regardless of where they are sent. It's usually the wife who has to contend with most of the hardship that is a result of change. I don't think I have ever heard them complain about what has been imposed on them. They have chosen their lifestyle and would not change it because they believe in what they are doing. Their loyalty to their husbands and to God seems to be unshakeable. There is a scripture in Proverbs 31:10-12 which says, "Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life." Please read the rest of the chapter for more insight into their role. These ladies always go above and beyond their duties.
There is an old saying that ¡§Behind every man is a good woman.¨ These women are the ones they are talking about. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, we find traits many of these ladies seem to have in common. So the next time you talk to one of these ladies, don't forget to say "thank you" for their hard work and sacrifice for their service to the congregation.
author unknown
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